Chelsea Bridge is a bridge over the River Thames in west London, connecting Chelsea on the north bank to Battersea on the south bank, and split between the City of Westminster, the London Borough of Wandsworth and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
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Work on the nearby Chelsea Embankment delayed construction and so the bridge, initially called Victoria Bridge, did not open until 1858.
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Bridge was narrow and structurally unsound, leading the authorities to rename it Chelsea Bridge to avoid the Royal Family's association with a potential collapse.
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Chelsea Bridge is floodlit from below during the hours of darkness, when the towers and cables are illuminated by 936 feet of light-emitting diodes.
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On 31 March 1858 Queen Victoria, accompanied by two of her daughters and en route to the formal opening of Battersea Park, crossed the new bridge and declared it officially open, naming it the Victoria Chelsea Bridge; it was opened to the public three days later, on 3 April 1858.
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Concerns were raised in Parliament that poorer industrial workers in Chelsea Bridge, which had no large parks of its own, would be unable to afford to use the new park in Battersea.
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Architectural opinion had turned heavily against Victorian styles and Chelsea Bridge was now deeply unpopular with architects; former President of the Royal Institute of British Architects Reginald Blomfield spoke vehemently against its design in 1921, and there were few people supporting the preservation of the old bridge.
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Uniquely in London, Chelsea Bridge is a self-anchored suspension bridge, the first of the type to be built in Britain.
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Chelsea Bridge is floodlit from beneath at night and 936 feet of light-emitting diodes strung along the towers and suspension chains, intended to complement the illuminations of the nearby Albert Bridge.
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Chelsea Bridge was declared a Grade II listed structure in 2008, providing protection to preserve its character from further alteration.
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