The bridge’s first fire

 

In 1633, fire struck the bridge. A maid accidentally left a pail of ashes underneath wooden stairs which eventually caught light. This fire ravaged 43 houses and destroyed many of the shops too. And just 33 years later in 1666, the Great Fire of London also started. However, because of the first incident, the gap had been left so wide that the flames of the Great Fire were unable to reach most of the bridge. The fire lasted four days, but only the new houses on the end of the bridge were burnt.

After the fire of 1666, London had to be rebuilt. A new style of architecture was chosen, also set to be adopted on the bridge, with the ancient timber houses replaced by modern blocks with roof gardens.

The bridge became busier and busier over the years, so in 1722, an attempt was made to control congestion by ordering traffic to keep to the left. By 1763, all the houses were pulled down too. The bridge was widened and partly rebuilt with a wide centre arch. This however proved problematic, as the torrents of water were now concentrated at one point. This pressure caused damage to the existing piers, making the bridge unstable.