This page documents some of the buildings beside and bridges across the River Thames in London, going upstream from Tower Bridge to Chiswick.
This page starts with an advertisement for an excellent guide for visitors to the capital.
See also this photographic report about London’s bridges – “London is a city divided by the Thames, but united by its bridges. An exhibition reveals some rare archive photographs”, from The Guardian.
And Now and then – London bridges: in pictures; the ghostly images, which juxtapose historic views with their present day perspective, have been created using photographs showcased in the
Museum of London Docklands’ art exhibition Bridge. The original photographs were taken by renowned late 19th and 20th century photographers.
The London Visitors magazine for August 2014 carried a special article about exploring the River Thames – on and off the water. We sourced some great cruises for you and highlighted famous landmarks as you walk along the Thames path. Back editions of London Visitors are available online.
See our main ad.
[Click any photo to enlarge it]
Tower Bridge
The Tower of London
City Hall, headquarters of the Mayor of London
HMS Belfast
The Globe Theatre
Tate Modern art gallery, formerly Bankside Power Station
Cannon Street Station
The Old Thameside Inn in London Bridge
The RAF Memorial on the Victoria Embankment
The London Eye
The Royal Festival Hall (far left) and the Shell Centre (right)
Embankment Pier and Charing Cross Station
Hungerford Bridge, the London Eye and the Shell Centre
Hungerford Bridge (pedestrians on the left; railway on the right)
The Royal Festival Hall, Hungerford Bridge and the Shell Centre
The Festival Pier, the Queen Elizabeth Hall Purcell Room
(with the odd ornament on the roof), and of course the Shard
Adelphi Theatre, Shell Mex House, Cleopatra’s Needle and the Savoy
Blackfriars Bridge, St Paul’s, and the City beyond
Blackfriars Bridge
Blackfriars Railway Bridge being extended
The Millennium Bridge
The Shard (you can’t get away from it!)
The Shard and Southwark Bridge
Westminster Millennium Pier
The Shard yet again, this time as seen at the start of our journey, at Tower Bridge
The London Eye, the former County Hall (London County Council HQ), Jubilee Gardens and the Shell building
Westminster Pier, Big Ben, Houses of Parliament and Westminster Bridge
House of Commons, Big Ben, Westminster Bridge and Portcullis House (MPs’ offices)
House of Lords, with the Lord Chancellor’s and other offices on the left, the Victoria Tower in background, and the Terrace
Former County Hall (LCC headquarters) again
Lambeth Bridge
Lambeth Bridge
Albert Embankment, the Fire Brigade HQ (red) and luxury flats
The MI5 Building, (Thames House, Millbank)
MI6 headquarters (which, of course, doesn’t exist)
Parliament, the Lord Chancellor’s and other offices and the Victoria Tower
St George Wharf Tower (residential skyscraper, Nine Elms Lane, Vauxhall) and Vauxhall Bridge
Vauxhall Bridge, with piers bearing bronze statues by Alfred Drury and Frederick Pomeroy
“Locking Piece” by Henry Moore, Millbank
Entry of the River Westbourne into the Thames
The unmistakeable Battersea Power Station, now derelict
Grosvenor Railway Bridge serving Victoria Station, with Chelsea road Bridge beyond
Chelsea suspension Bridge, which is illuminated from below at night
Albert Bridge, concrete central piers added in 1973, making it an unusual hybrid of a cable-stayed bridge, suspension bridge and beam bridge
Battersea Bridge, London’s narrowest, with renovated gilded spandrels
Residential house-boats along Cheyne Walk, Chelsea
Chelsea Wharf
Lots Road Power Station, which formerly supplied electricity to the London Underground
St Mary’s Church, Battersea (William Blake was married there, J M W Turner painted there, Benedict Arnold and family are buried there and it had links with Robert Falcon Scott)
Helicopter approaching Battersea Heliport
Battersea Railway Bridge (W London line) & Chelsea Harbour
Canoe marinas on Putney Embankment
Craven Cottage, Fulham Football Club ground
[Extreme right of photo] Tribute to Michael Jackson at Fulham F C, three days before its removal on 26th September 2013
Harrods disused Furniture Depository, Richmond, near Hammersmith Br. [disused depository, not disused furniture!]
Hammersmith Bridge, a weak structure with frequent problems
Hammersmith Bridge pier, restored to original condition
Chiswick Eyot (pronounced like “8”), a wild life sanctuary
Fullers Brewery opposite the south end of Chiswick Eyot