Back home from a few days with Lucy and her family, so expect a few photos of my adventures. I'm feeling really tired, but watching young children at play is an exhausting activity. It was lovely to spend time with them.
Hammersmith Bridge in London is a rather attractive suspension bridge which was constructed on the foundations of an earlier bridge and opened in 1887 by the Prince of Wales. It was designed by Joseph Bazalgette, who would become famous for developing a sewerage system that would drastically reduce pollution in the River Thames and largely eradicate the risk of cholera.
In the 20th century it became a target for the IRA several times. in 1939 a passing hairdresser saw the bomb and threw it into the River Thames. In 1996 a large semtex bomb wase planted, but didn't explode. A second semtex bomb in 2000 did explode and the bridge was closed for some time for restoration.
More recently, following the discovery of micro-fractures, the bridge was again closed. Some work has taken place, and the bridge is open to pedestrians and cyclists at the moment. I walked over it with Lucy and her children last Friday, taking photos of river and bridge as we walked.
It seems the current cost of repairing the bridge is estimated to cost £250million, but the bridge is a listed structure so has to be repaired rather than replaced.