8-5LondonBridge

WHAT WAS THE LONDON BRIDGE? WHAT ROLE DID IT PLAY IN ELIZABETHAN ENGLAND? //Answer prepared by Maddie L.// The London Bridge was the only bridge over the Thames River back in Shakespeare’s time, says the Life in Elizabethan England site. The London Bridge had many purposes. Londoners could use it to cross over the Thames in order to go to playhouses or houses of prostitution or Bull Baiting and Bear Baiting. Bull Baiting is when bulls were tied up and trained bulldogs attacked them. Bear Baiting is very similar except with a bear instead of a bull. Even though it was cruel and bloody, “ Bear & Bull Baiting were immensely popular sports during the Elizabethan era”, says the Elizabethan-era website. Many people preferred taking a boat across the Thames because of the expensive tolls on the bridge. The tolls were like a sales tax. The money went directly to the king or queen, who didn’t even have to spend it on care for the bridge. The Internet Shakespeare Edition website talks about the bridge’s second purpose, to warn newcomers of the punishments traitors received. On the London Bridge, there was a display of severed heads. The heads were of those who had crossed the king or queen. The first head ever was William Wallace in 1305. William Wallace was a Scottish leader who rebelled against British rule, and therefore he was a traitor. There were many heads to follow, including Sir Thomas More. He was a religious politician, which was unusual and inconvenient in the Elizabethan Era. At first, he was close friends with Henry VIII, but when he started to become more distant and less loyal, he was found guilty of treason. Finally, the last head was taken down in 1678. The London Bridge was also used in plays. It is mentioned in Shakespeare’s “History of Henry VI.” A messenger is telling King Henry VI that Jack Cade and his followers have taken over much of the city and that he should flee so they will not be able to kill him. “Jack Cade has gotten the London Bridge” says the messenger, from “History of Henry VI” on Open Source Shakespeare website. The building of the bridge began in 1176 and was completed in the early 13th century. “ London a Life in Maps”, says that “The original London Bridge – medieval bridge that was encrusted with shops and houses – rested on no fewer than nineteen arches, which were built on foundation piers so wide that even small boats found it difficult to pass between them.” It lasted over 600 years. In 1831 the Old London Bridge was destroyed and was replaced with a more modern bridge. On the BBC site, you can hear Queen Elizabeth talking about how in the 1960s the government decided to put it up for sale. A wealthy American named Robert McCulloch bought it and took it stone-by-stone to Arizona. Many people assume that the Tower Bridge is the London Bridge so McCulloch didn’t actually buy the famous London Bridge, he bought the real one. Then a replacement bridge was opened by Queen Elizabeth in 1968. The nursery rhyme “The London Bridge is Falling Down” is about how many times it’s had to been rebuilt. The London Bridge is the most famous bridge in the world.  Works Cited   Alchin, Linda. "Elizabethan Bear & Bull Baiting." // Elizabethan Era. 20 Mar, 2008. 12 Apr 2009 . //  // Whitfield, Peter. London A Life in Maps. London: The British Library, 2006. Print. //  //   Best, Micheal. "The City of London." Internet Shakespeare Editions. Feb 1998. 12 Apr 2009 . //// Ros, Maggi. " The City of London. Life in Elizabethan England <span style="line-height: 19px; font-size: 16px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">. 26 Mar 2008. 12 Apr 2009 < <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; text-align: left; display: inline; line-height: 19px; font-size: 120%; font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">[]>.   <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; text-align: left; display: inline; line-height: 19px; font-size: 120%; font-style: normal;">    //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; text-align: left; display: block; font-size: 110%;"><span style="font-size: 16px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-style: normal;">J <span style="line-height: 19px; font-size: 16px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-style: normal;">ohnson, Eric. "History of Henry VI, Part II." <span style="font-size: 16px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Open Source Shakespeare. 2003-2009. 14 Apr 2009 <http://www.opensourceshakespeare.org/views/plays/play_view.php?WorkID=henry6p2&Act=4&Scene=4&Scope=scene>. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; text-align: left; display: block;">