The Story Behind the Bridge
By the 1960s, the original 1831 London Bridge spanning the River Thames was sinking, literally. Deemed structurally unsound, British officials decided to sell it. In 1968, American entrepreneur Robert P. McCulloch, founder of Lake Havasu City, purchased the bridge for £1.02 million (~ USD 2.46 million). His vision? Make a bold marketing move that would draw international attention to his growing desert development.
Each of the bridge’s 10,276 granite blocks was carefully numbered, dismantled, and shipped 5,400 miles to Long Beach, CA, via the Panama Canal. From there, they were trucked to Lake Havasu, where a steel-reinforced concrete frame was constructed and clad in the original stones. The project transformed what was once a barren desert into a thriving city center.
The bridge was officially rededicated on October 10, 1971, with much celebration, including skydivers, parades, and a ceremonial sheep crossing, which honored British tradition. The manmade canal beneath it, the Bridgewater Channel, turned a peninsula into an island and gave the city its iconic centerpiece.
A Transatlantic Treasure
- Built from 1825–1831, designed by John Rennie, and originally spanning the Thames in London.
- Sold and relocated to Arizona in 1968 to promote Lake Havasu City.
- Shipped through the Panama Canal, then trucked from Long Beach to the Arizona desert.
- Reconstructed using a modern concrete core clad in the original stone blocks.
- Officially rededicated on October 10, 1971, in a ceremony blending British and American traditions.
Fun Facts That Impress
- Arizona’s second-most visited attraction after the Grand Canyon, attracting nearly a million visitors annually.
- Recognized in the Guinness Book as the world’s largest antique.
- Hollow interior houses modern utilities including water, sewer, and power lines.
- Equipped with LED lighting that mimics historical gas lamps.
- Street lamps were forged from cannons captured during the Napoleonic Wars.
- Visible bullet damage from WWII is still present on some stones.
- Has been featured in films like ‘Day of the Wolves’ and ‘Terror on the London Bridge’.
- Reportedly haunted, visitors have claimed to see a British bobby and a woman in black.
Engineering & Structure
- Five-span stone arch design with a total length of 930 feet.
- The main span stretches 150 feet across the Bridgewater Channel.
- Uses soffit-fill construction technique, built over solid land, then excavated beneath.
- Each stone was marked and placed back in its exact original position.
Watch the Journey
Watch a visual timeline of the London Bridge’s historic relocation: Click here to watch on YouTube