This Bridge Was Actually Built In London, Dismantled, And Brought To Arizona
By Melissa Mahoney|Published June 19, 2023
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Melissa Mahoney
Author
I'm an east coast girl living in a west coast world. I grew up in New England before moving to SoCal for several years. I then lived in NYC or a year before moving to AZ in 2009. I worked in the entertainment industry for many years of my adult life and have a deep love for photography, writing, and traveling around the U.S. as well as to far-flung locations around the world. Travel is my life and writing about it is a dream!
If you have dreams of visiting the U.K., we actually have a piece of it right here in Arizona. Whether you’ve been to Lake Havasu or not, you’re probably familiar with the London Bridge. The subject of the famous nursery rhyme, “London Bridge is Falling Down,” it’s become world famous over the centuries. Built in London, dismantled, and eventually brought to Arizona, here is the story of the London Bridge in Lake Havasu.
Located in Lake Havasu, the world-famous London Bridge of nursery rhyme lore is a point of interest here. And how it got here is quite a fascinating story.
First, we should talk about how Lake Havasu City came to be. Back in the 1960s, entrepreneur Robert P. McCulloch, Sr. purchased a 26-acre plot of land in the Arizona desert on the shores of Lake Havasu. At the time, there was really nothing else there.
He wanted to drive people to the area and create a resort town that tourists wanted to visit and he also sold residential lots. But he needed a way to draw people here.
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Once spanning the banks of the River Thames in London was the London Bridge. Originally built in the 1830s, the bridge experienced continuous structural issues. Since it kept falling apart over the decades, the city decided to dismantle and sell it.
McCulloch happened to be in London when the bridge was put up for sale and he purchased it for $2.46 million. He then had 10,600 pieces of granite belonging to the bridge shipped across the Atlantic, through the Panama Canal, and trucked up to the Arizona desert.
Reconstruction of the London Bridge in the Mohave Desert was completed in 1971 and it spanned the banks of Pittsburgh Point and Lake Havasu City's mainland.
Bridgewater Channel Canal was eventually constructed beneath the bridge and leads straight into the lake. Interestingly enough, the bridge was constructed before the river was created!
When you come to Lake Havasu, you'll see the American flag, the Arizona flag, and a Union Jack flag to represent the city's connection to the U.K. What a fun and fascinating piece of Arizona history!
Today, tourists from all over the world visit Lake Havasu City just to see the bridge.
Did you know about the history of the London Bridge in Lake Havasu? Do you have anything to add? Please do so in the comments! To learn more about the London Bridge, visit the Go Lake Havasu website.
There are so many interesting facts and fascinating history to learn about the Grand Canyon State. Check out some of our other articles on history in Arizona.
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