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> The 19th-century London Bridge (famously referred to in TS Eliot’s The Waste Land) survived for little more than a century before it in turn was replaced, in

> The 19th-century London Bridge (famously referred to in TS Eliot’s The Waste Land) survived for little more than a century before it in turn was replaced, in the 1970s, by the present bridge. The 19th-century bridge was sold and re-erected in Arizona. Wait, so someone literally got sold a bridge?

delichon 3y ago
His name was Robert McCulloch. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Bridge_(Lake_Havasu_City) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Bridge_(Lake_Havasu_Cit... Growing up in the '70s we used to boat camp on the Arizona shore of Lake Havasu, and after days in the bush we'd boat to the closest civilization, this little tourist town, and be tourists and gape at the bridge, then go back to camping. Good times.
Gare 3y ago
Technically, only granite facing was reused. The core is newly built, made of reinforced concrete.
ggm 3y ago
My mother told a shaggy dog story about the re-construction being cheap spanish speaking labour and a mixup with the stones chalked "L" She also said the buyer genuinely didn't know what he'd bought, but I still have my doubts. I have an aquatint or mezzotint of the 19th century bridge I am very fond of but I can find no provenance for. It must have been mass produced but short of demounting it and looking for details, its just a nice print in a frame.
- firecall 3y ago
  As a kid growing up in London, we were told they thought they were buying Tower Bridge!
- Gare 3y ago
  > There is a popular rumor that the bridge was bought in the mistaken belief that it was London's more recognizable Tower Bridge, but the allegation was vehemently denied by both McCulloch and Ivan Luckin, who arranged the bridge's sale.
  - ggm 3y ago
    This is what I was told as a child when the bridge sold. It's definitely a meme from before Dawkins.
  - domh 3y ago
    This is the story I was told growing up. Also mentioned in Layer Cake (2004) by Michael Gambon when he's laughing about someone's bad investment: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9NMJAxq0QUk&t=210 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9NMJAxq0QUk&t=210
eschulz 3y ago
Yes, the British government was happy to sell it to Arizona businessman and developer Robert McCulloch. He had to actually make a slight deviation of the Colorado River in order for it to go under the bridge in its new location. To accomplish that feat he hired some Texas lawyers who personally knew President Johnson, and they all went to the White House to convince Johnson to approve the adjustment to the river course. Johnson at first didn't want to do it, he said it wouldn't be right to deviate a major river for a real estate developer's project. One of the lawyers said that he wouldn't have to make such exceptions for anyone's sake, just for anytime that an American bought London Bridge and brought it to the US. Johnson was convinced and McCulloch got his way.
- dboreham 3y ago
  Last month, imagine my delight when I realized that the requirement I had to drive from Ehrenberg AZ to Las Vegas without crossing back into CA (for...paperwork reasons) meant that I'd drive right past the London Bridge. But it was dark by the time I got there :( There's an In-n-Out burger at the east end though.
robbie-c 3y ago
The idea of London Bridge moving along the Panama Canal causes a type error in my brain

delichon 3y ago

His name was Robert McCulloch. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Bridge_(Lake_Havasu_City) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Bridge_(Lake_Havasu_Cit... Growing up in the '70s we used to boat camp on the Arizona shore of Lake Havasu, and after days in the bush we'd boat to the closest civilization, this little tourist town, and be tourists and gape at the bridge, then go back to camping. Good times.

Gare 3y ago

Technically, only granite facing was reused. The core is newly built, made of reinforced concrete.

ggm 3y ago

My mother told a shaggy dog story about the re-construction being cheap spanish speaking labour and a mixup with the stones chalked "L" She also said the buyer genuinely didn't know what he'd bought, but I still have my doubts. I have an aquatint or mezzotint of the 19th century bridge I am very fond of but I can find no provenance for. It must have been mass produced but short of demounting it and looking for details, its just a nice print in a frame.

firecall 3y ago
As a kid growing up in London, we were told they thought they were buying Tower Bridge!
Gare 3y ago
> There is a popular rumor that the bridge was bought in the mistaken belief that it was London's more recognizable Tower Bridge, but the allegation was vehemently denied by both McCulloch and Ivan Luckin, who arranged the bridge's sale.
- ggm 3y ago
  This is what I was told as a child when the bridge sold. It's definitely a meme from before Dawkins.
- domh 3y ago
  This is the story I was told growing up. Also mentioned in Layer Cake (2004) by Michael Gambon when he's laughing about someone's bad investment: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9NMJAxq0QUk&t=210 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9NMJAxq0QUk&t=210

eschulz 3y ago

Yes, the British government was happy to sell it to Arizona businessman and developer Robert McCulloch. He had to actually make a slight deviation of the Colorado River in order for it to go under the bridge in its new location. To accomplish that feat he hired some Texas lawyers who personally knew President Johnson, and they all went to the White House to convince Johnson to approve the adjustment to the river course. Johnson at first didn't want to do it, he said it wouldn't be right to deviate a major river for a real estate developer's project. One of the lawyers said that he wouldn't have to make such exceptions for anyone's sake, just for anytime that an American bought London Bridge and brought it to the US. Johnson was convinced and McCulloch got his way.

dboreham 3y ago
Last month, imagine my delight when I realized that the requirement I had to drive from Ehrenberg AZ to Las Vegas without crossing back into CA (for...paperwork reasons) meant that I'd drive right past the London Bridge. But it was dark by the time I got there :( There's an In-n-Out burger at the east end though.

robbie-c 3y ago

The idea of London Bridge moving along the Panama Canal causes a type error in my brain