Hungerford Bridge and Golden Jubilee Bridges

The Hungerford Bridge crosses the Thames between Waterloo Bridge and Westminster Bridge in central London. It is a steel railway bridge owned by Network Rail, officially called Charing Cross Bridge. On either side stand the Golden Jubilee pedestrian bridges, cable-stayed structures sharing the railway’s piers. The north end sits beside Charing Cross station, Embankment Pier and Victoria Embankment. The south end is close to Waterloo station, County Hall, the Royal Festival Hall and the London Eye. Each pedestrian bridge has steps and lifts for access. The original Hungerford Bridge was a suspension footbridge designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel and opened in 1845. In 1859 the railway company bought it, replaced the suspension deck with wrought-iron lattice girders in 1864, and reused the old chains in Bristol’s Clifton Suspension Bridge. Brick buttresses from Brunel’s bridge remain, though one on the north bank was moved when the Victoria Embankment was built in the 19th century. The footbridge became narrow and dilapidated, and a competition in 1996 led to the Golden Jubilee Bridges, completed in 2002. They carry about 8.5 million crossings a year, making them London’s busiest Thames footbridges. Visitors walk along two 300-metre decks of the Golden Jubilee Bridges, each 4 metres wide. Slender pylons lean outward, held by fans of steel rods and backstays under tension. The decks are secured to the railway bridge’s pillars by steel collars tied to the foundations. The design won awards for architecture and lighting, and the structure protects the railway piers from river traffic. From the bridges there are views of the river, the South Bank arts complex and the London Eye. Steps and lifts at each end link the bridges to the streets and stations nearby.