Albert Bridge opened in 1873 connecting Chelsea on the north bank to Battersea on the south. It is, by any reasonable assessment, the prettiest bridge in London. Painted in pink, cream and green, and lit at night by thousands of bulbs, it has survived repeated threats of demolition through public campaigning.
Soldiers Must Break Step
A notice at both ends of the bridge reads: “All troops must break step when marching over this bridge.” It was installed in the Victorian era when military marching was a genuine concern for the structure’s integrity. The sign remains to this day — not, historians believe, because the risk is real, but because it would be a shame to remove it.
The Betjeman Campaign
In the 1970s, when GLC planners wanted to demolish Albert Bridge and replace it with a modern concrete structure, the poet John Betjeman led a public campaign to save it. He won. The bridge was strengthened and has been listed ever since. Betjeman’s love of Victorian architecture saved many of London’s finest structures.
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