View of the Vauxhall Iron Bridge

Location

Country: UK
City: London
Place: Government Art Collection

This view of Vauxhall Bridge includes moored boats in the foreground and the bridge beyond. A windmill can be seen in the distance, to the left. The new Vauxhall Iron Bridge was opened for foot passengers on 4 June and for carriages on 25 July 1816, less than a month before this engraving was published.

Work began on the first bridge at Vauxhall, designed by engineer John Rennie (1761-1821), in 1809. It was built by a private company, known as the Vauxhall Bridge Company, on the site of a ferry crossing, as part of a scheme for redeveloping the south bank of the River Thames. However, two years later the Vauxhall Bridge Company decided to adopt engineer James Walker’s cheaper cast-iron bridge design. The new bridge opened in 1816 and was the first iron bridge to span the river. It operated as a toll bridge before being taken into public ownership in 1879. In 1881 the two central piers were removed and three of its nine arches were converted into a single arch. Between 1895 and 1906 the structure was replaced by the present bridge, designed by engineer Sir Alexander Binnie, which comprises of five steel arches supported on granite piers.

Places

England, River Thames, London, Vauxhall Bridge

Subjects

rowing boat, topography, townscape/cityscape, river bank, river, shore, man, woman, flag, bridge (urban), windmill, sailboat

Materials & Techniques

engraving, coloured engraving

Artist

British 19th century unknown

Title

View of the Vauxhall Iron Bridge

Date

published 20 August 1816

Medium

Coloured engraving

Dimensions

height: 28.10 cm, width: 43.50 cm

Acquisition

Purchased from F B Daniell & Son, December 1949

GAC number

1062