Rhymes in Time:
London Bridge is Falling Down

You know the popular nursery rhyme, but what does it mean? Has London Bridge ever fallen down? Sing along with us and then find out more below.

You can click here to find a full transcript of this video.

What's it all about?

This song is about one of the capital's most famous features: London Bridge.

There has been a bridge very close to where the current London Bridge stands for nearly two thousand years! Bridges have been destroyed and rebuilt there many times, so it’s very difficult to know which disaster the song is about.

Could it be about one of the many fires that burnt it down? Is it about a Viking attack on London? Or maybe the song is about the many different times the bridge was destroyed, with each verse describing a new bridge being built and then destroyed once again?

Try at home!

Take a closer look...

Freezing frost fairs

The design of the old London Bridge allowed the Thames to freeze enough for huge frost fairs to be held on the river. In very cold weather, ice would get stuck in the arches which held the bridge up. This slowed the flow of the river so it could freeze.

A new London Bridge opened in 1831 which had five wider arches, letting the water flow more quickly, so the Thames never froze as thick again. This image shows the last frost fair on the River Thames.

Can you find:

• A dog
• St Paul’s Cathedral
• A giant swing
• Someone playing games on the ice?

Viking attack!

London Bridge was fortified (that means it was well protected) to stop Viking raiders from sailing up the Thames and getting into the city.

In 1016, King Cnut discovered London Bridge was so well defended that he had to dig a channel around its south end. His ships were then able to go around the bridge to attack the city.

This battle axe may have been thrown into the Thames in celebration after a successful Viking attack.

Bustling bridge

This model shows London Bridge as it would have looked in the Tudor period. There were over 200 buildings on the bridge at that time, including shops, houses and chapels.

Have you ever seen a bridge like this? If so, where?

What do you think?

Something we do know is that similar songs, mentioning different bridges, are sung by children all over the world. People in other countries might use slightly different lyrics or have different actions, but the main idea of these songs is the same: a bridge falls down and is rebuilt!

We don’t know when the rhyme was first sung. Some historians think this song dates all the way back to late medieval times, but the earliest record we have of 'London Bridge’ in English is from the 1600s.

Just like London Bridge itself, the rhyme has changed over the centuries and there are several different versions. Lyrics from the 1700s say ‘London Bridge is broken down’ rather than falling!

Can you imagine singing that instead? Give it a try!

Investigate more

When was London Bridge built?

The first London Bridge was built by the Romans around AD 50 and the town of Londinium grew around it. Although archaeology tells us that people were in London before the Romans, there is no proof that they lived in the city all year round. The Romans were the first people to do so.

How many times has London Bridge fallen down?

The first London Bridge was probably destroyed with the rest of Roman Londinium by Queen Boudica in AD 61.

London was abandoned for hundreds of years after the Romans left Britain around AD 409. The Saxons moved into the ruins of the city and rebuilt London Bridge sometime during the 900s. This settlement was a rich trading port which attracted attacks from Viking raiders. During this time there were a number of battles between Vikings and Londoners along the river and around London Bridge, and in 1014 London Bridge was pulled down!

There were several more wooden bridges built over the years. One was demolished in 1091 by a tornado and another was lost to a fire in 1136. More bridges were lost to ice damage, decay and fire.

King Henry II decided to rebuild London Bridge in stone. With so many bridges destroyed, it’s no wonder he wanted something more permanent! The medieval London Bridge was finished in 1209 and was used for over 600 years until it was demolished in 1831. You can still see a piece of the medieval London Bridge on display outside St Magnus the Martyr’s Church on Lower Thames Street.

When the medieval bridge was pulled down, the scrap wood and iron was recycled into knives and forks by cutlery maker John Weiss. Can you imagine eating your dinner with a piece of London Bridge?

The bridge that opened in 1831 was a simple stone bridge that was used for over 100 years. That bridge was sold and is still in use today – not in London but as a crossing in Lake Havasu in the United States! You might have heard about this. The popular story goes that the American who bought London Bridge thought they were buying Tower Bridge instead. While this is a funny story, it isn’t true. The person who bought it knew exactly which bridge they were buying.

The bridge we use today was opened in 1973 and it is just one of the many bridges crossing the Thames. Over 30 bridges cross this river today. How many of them have you used? Can you name them?

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