View of the Vauxhall Iron Bridge
Coloured engraving
published 20 August 1816-
About the work
- Location
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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.
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Explore
- 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
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Details
- Artist
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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