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FEATURES

London Bridge IS falling down

London Bridge, Arizona, is under threat

Iconic US landmark sold in 60s could be bulldozed to make way for drug haven

LONDON Bridge is crumbling – and the iconic landmark could soon be bulldozed.

The structure, which had spanned the River Thames since 1831, was sold to US businessman Roberet McCulloch for £1.4million in 1968.

He shipped it, stone by stone, to the west coast of America and rebuilt it in the Arizona desert.

of 12London Bridge IS falling down – that’s the one in Arizona, USA

6/27/2014http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/features/5694028/London-Bridge-IS-falling-down-...

A well-travelled bridge

But it has now become so rundown there are plans to turn it into a MARIJUANA mecca.

The bridge — now part of a tourist complex called Lake Havasu City — is cracking up after years of neglect. The resort, with its trademark bridge, was popular until the financial crunch saw numbers drop.

They have never recovered so shops closed and bridge maintenance stopped.



Bridge in need of repairRex Features



Visitors have deserted the iconColeman-Rayner

The city is now so desperate there are plans to create a centre for drug tourism.

The idea is that the legal sale of cannabis cigarettes and paraphernalia — at the centre called Hemped In Havasu — would bring in thousands of new visitors. It is hoped the new attraction will open this autumn.

But locals are angry a piece of British history could soon vanish for ever.

The bridge is said to be worth £12million to developers, who want to pull it down for trendy apartments.

Lake Havasu was known as Little London — where tourists would flock to see the bridge, Big Ben-themed buildings, red phone boxes and British pubs.



Struggling resortChris White/Coleman-Rayner

Since the financial crash in 2008, afternoon teas, English sweets, ales and ghost tours have disappeared.

The Lake Havasu Museum of History barely sees any visitors in the steaming-hot summers and the London Plaza shops often have an empty car park.

London Bridge Visitor Centre director Jan Kassies says: “The bridge gave us our identity. Before that, we were just a tiny town in the desert. Like the Eiffel Tower for Paris and Sydney with the Opera House, it’s our identity. Almost every American knows about London Bridge.”



Jan KassiesColeman-Rayner

It took three years to rebuild the bridge, which still bares the scars of where a German plane crashed into it in the Second World War.

The then Lord Mayor of London Sir Peter Malden Studd formally reopened it at a ceremony in 1971.

Children even sang the famous nursery rhyme but to the words: “London Bridge is going up, in our fair city.” Today, Lake Havasu is among the five poorest areas in the US, with unemployment at more than ten per cent. Businesses that remain say the area has been left to rot.

Cynthia Hotchkins, who has run the English Village Gift Shop for 17 years, says: “I’m in awe of the bridge. There’s an affinity with London and England in this town.



Visitor CentreChris White/Coleman-Rayner



“But they’ve slowly let it all slip away. It started when they redeveloped one side of the bridge and it wasn’t done in the traditional way, like an English castle.

“Then a developer got hold of the English Village and wanted to tear the whole lot down and build condos.

“But the council stopped him — and now we’re owned by the bank. We’ve just been in a state of limbo for the last decade. It’s a shame, as it used to be thriving.

“The English Pub was always busy and serving fish and chips and steak-and-kidney pies. But it closed down when it didn’t get a new lease.

“Times are changing. People are always asking for English candy but we can’t give it to them. It’s been a rough ride for the last ten years.

“Now the English Village consists of people who hardly know the history.

“There used to be a man who gave ghost walks along the river and would tell people tales about Jack The Ripper. We’re not giving up, we still feel English. We have London Bridge Day and a parade.

“We’ll always be a bit English obsessed, it’s part of the charm.”

McCulloch & Lake Havasu's planner CV WoodColeman-Rayner

Sadly, traders have started noticing cracks appearing in the bridge.



Jim Maniacci, who runs the ice cream store Jimmy’s Sno, says: “It used to be so well kept. Now only vagrants and drunk teenagers hang around.

“There’s a huge crack in the wall, which has become home to 10,000 bats.”

As the support continues for England, Lake Havasu resident Cindy Anderton, who makes London Bridge soap in a gift shop, says: “We love being part of English history.

“I love everything quintessentially English. We’ll be cheering them on in the World Cup soccer.”

Bridge facts HERE are some facts in the fascinating story of a once-British landmark.

The London Bridge now in Arizona was the 11th to cross the Thames at that spot.

London Bridge in 1900sColeman-Rayner

The first was built from wood after the Roman invasion in 43AD.

Scottish engineer John Rennie designed the five-arch bridge bought by US businessman Robert McCulloch.



Bridge being taken apart in 1967Coleman-Rayner

The Victorian bridge and its approach roads cost £2.5million to build – which is the equivalent of £192million today.

London needed a bigger bridge to cope with more commuters, and it had started to sink into the Thames mud.



Rebuilt in Lake Havasu in Jan 1971Getty

It is a myth McCulloch thought he was getting Tower Bridge.

It was taken apart, then each stone was numbered and shipped across the Atlantic.

The replacement, a modern concrete and steel London Bridge, was officially opened in 1973.



Opening ceremony in Arizona in Oct 1971Coleman-Rayner

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