Cross River Traffic: A History of London's Bridges

by Chris Roberts

London has seventeen points where the Thames can be strolled over ranging from the fantastically fruity Tower Bridge to the grim functionalism of Wandsworth. "Cross River Traffic" tells the history of the current crossings (and their predecessors) - why and how they were built as well as incidents that have occurred on them, from ghost stories to terrorist plots, sexual antics to suicides. The book explores the reasons why the crossings are situated where they are and the effect on the communities they link as well as on London as a whole. The bridges stitch the north and south of the river together, and were crucial in making it the unified metropolis of the Victorian era. They are also aiding the refashioning of London's waterfront in the 21st century. The book answers such crucial questions as why do London's bikers meet on Chelsea Bridge, who was assassinated on Waterloo and how did a hairdresser save Hammersmith Bridge and a poet the Albert Bridge. "Cross River Traffic" is a delightfully digressive and informative history.

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

London based writer and tour guide with www.londonstreettours.co.uk. My interests include history and folklore, especially London's, and of the river Thames and bridges over that river. I am the author of books about the latter as well as one on the history of nursery rhymes, "lost" English words and football and superstition.

Current projects include co-presenting the cult football radio show Cafe Calcio on Resonance 104.4 FM which examines the social, political and cultural aspects of the game. Previous series have featured the Football Art Masterclass, Soccer Dance School and Tacticus a Latin speaking football correspondent. The current one (Street pharmacist's guide to football) examines the links between soccer and narcotics. All of these will hopefully be turned into short books one day soon.

From 2007 to 2011 I edited the 21st century penny dreadful called One Eye Grey. These were collections of short scary London stories which in 2012 went electric under the title Stories from Another London.

Librarian Note:
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an accessible book for anyone not wishing to delve into minutiae of the nuts and bolts of every bridge that has ever spanned the Thames. Sprinkled throughout with asides:
"King Cnut sailed up the Effra, [a tributary of the Thames] as did Elizabeth I five hundred years later to visit Walter Raleigh in Loughborough, no doubt in order to pick up something dodgy to smoke"
Provider at the back are technical appendices and biographies of the bridge's builders.
In short a must for any London enthusiast who wants to understand more about the river once described as 'liquid history'.

[Bookwormthings · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting book I borrowed from the library to help with my son's school project. My only gripe is that I felt it needed a more detailed map of the areas around the bridges, and diagrams of the bridge construction types.

That said, don't not read it.

[Paul Hughes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative, fascinating and gossipy. A good read.