Remember singing,
London Bridges falling down, falling down, falling down
London Bridges falling down, my fair lady!
Who knew it would really be true? This is the London Bridge, originally built in London in 1831, and is now located in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. The bridge was purchased in 1962 by Robert McCulloch, the founder of Lake Havasu and the chairman of McCulloch Oil Corporation. He wanted the bridge to serve as a tourist attraction to his retirement real estate development.
The bridge was carefully disassembled and each piece was numbered. Reassembly began in 1968, and finished in 1971.
There was an "English Village" with shops and restaurants by the bridge, but sadly, it was pretty run down when we visited it. Many of the shops were closed. It is sad, because it could be a nice touristy area. Things may have changed. This was back in 2006.
For more Sunday Bridges visit Louis La Vache
22 comments:
Although I have been to Arizona, I have never been to Lake Havasu. Thanks for sharing!
Amazing story and I love this bridge
Thanks for showing it really does exist (I did think, at one time, that it was an urban myth!)
Interesting synchronicity: I saw someone else blog about this bridge just a few weeks ago...! But I did know that someone had dismantled the bridge and shipped it the States. Cool shots.
hopefully i am not caught in the middle when it does...like the game we used to play as we sang...
amazing pics and story....lovely, thanx for sharing :)
Sounds like an interesting place. Somewhere I'd love to visit, even with some empty shops. I love original London bridges. Interesting that they took it all apart and brought it over.
you always take us to the best places ;)
I would love to see that!
Before I say another word...I keep forgetting to say how much I like your header. It really looks like a painting.
Moving the bridge was a huge undertaking; I hope the English Village made a comeback. Pip! Pip!
☼ Sunny
I didn't spend enough time to take many photos when I was in London. You've got some nice ones here!
Mine is at The Pagan's Eye
wow, that did take a lot of work and time to transport the bridge from England to Arizona. I would like to see it some day, would be interesting. it is a shame the village didn't do well; you would think it could have....
thanks for sharing :)
betty
That bridge is so beautiful!
Have a nice week!
Elisa, from Argentina
Great shots of the bridge Pat, it is amazing to see it in person. We were there about two years earlier than you and it was a similar situation with the shops, most of them were closed.
It's so weird that London Bridge is in Lake Havasu - but it is sad if it's looking a little down. I always feel sad when I see that. As if someone's vision and dream just didn't work out.
Who knew??? Hopefully by now the area has been revitalized!
I recall the upheaval but couldn't remember where the bridge was taken. Pity about the English Village.... shall I send you another one...grins
English village run down?
That's par for the course, and very authentic :-)
Don't you wish you could indulge in collecting on that scale?
What would you buy? The Pyramids?
I would choose a Botanic Garden....
(1jo.co)
Thanks, now I have the song stuck in my head......... The tune is just begging for new words. I will have to come up with a campy little jingle and use this tune, yeah, that's what I will do. No, I won't make any suggestive lyrics, that would be wrong.............
I like all the angles you chose to show this bridge from! It's interesting that someone would go to all that trouble to move a bridge. Amazing really!
How cool to see it in its entirety. here theres just a couple of stones left over from it. And of course the newer London bridge
It's too bad the Village has died out, but given the economy, this is not a surprise.
«Louis» thanks you for your contribution to Sunday Bridges and apologizes that he wasn't able to visit yesterday.
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