Pedestrians idle on the parapet of Old Lambeth Bridge while a steam tug passes beneath the central arch towing a Thames barge. Warehouses, wharves and houses line the Westminster shore.

A Framed and mounted mixed media sketch by the artist Hubert Williams showing Old Lambeth Bridge prior to it's demolition in 1928. Signed on the plate by the artist.

 

The first modern bridge over Lambeth Reach was constructed in 1860 by the engineer Peter Barlow. The 828 foot suspension bridge was blighted by doubts as to its safety from the very beginning, with the approach considered too steep for horse drawn vehicles meaning it operated largely as a pedestrian crossing.

In 1910, due to metal corrosion it was closed entirely to vehicular traffic. Further damaged in the 1928 Thames Flood, it was finally taken down and its replacement was erected in 1932.