| Chelsea Bridge (picture by Peter Watts) |  |
Chelsea Bridge
Photographer Description of Chelsea Bridge
Panorama taken from Chelsea Bridge in London. The picture shows the view downriver towards Battersea Power Station and shows Grosvenor Bridge, a rail bridge.Chelsea Bridge - Further Information
Chelsea Bridge stands between Albert Bridge and Vaxhaull Bridge on the River Thames in London, linking Chelsea with Battersea. The current road bridge opened in 1937. At either end are ornamental lamp posts adorned with a gilded galleon and coats of arms to represent the Thames and the Burroughs of Westminster, Battersea and Chelsea.Chelsea Bridge is today painted in red, blue and white. This replaces a bright red and white colour scheme which irritated fans of Chesea Football Club as these were the team colours of rivals Arsenal. The bridge is illuminated at night forming a complementary companion to Albert Bridge nearby, both are now popular night time tourist attractions.
The original bridge was opened by Queen Victoria in 1858. Shortly after this concerns were raised about it's safety and it was renamed Chelsea Bridge to avoid bad association with royalty in the event of it's collapse. It was built to allow access to the newly developed Battersea Park on the south side of the river and encourage development of th marshlands around it. Originally tolls were charged, but these were very unpopular and the authorities introduced toll-free Sundays. In 1877 the Metropolis Toll Bridges Act transferred all the bridges along the Thames from Hammersmith Bridge and Waterloo Bridge into government hands and shortly after the tolls were scrapped.
Travel Directions and Getting There:
Bus: Chelsea Bridge, Lister Hospital in Pimlico
Ferry: Cadogan Pier
Tube: Pimlico (Victoria Line)
Train: Battersea Park Railway Station, Queenstown Road Battersea Rail Station