Millennium Bridge, London

The Millennium Bridge鈥擫ondon鈥檚 bold leap into the 21st century, and quite literally, a wobbly one.

This sleek steel span holds not one, not two, but three distinctions. First, it鈥檚 the youngest of the Thames crossings. Second, it鈥檚 the only bridge in London where cars are banished鈥攐nly pedestrians, photographers, and the occasional rollerblader. And third? It set a record for the fastest closure in UK bridge history. Opened with great fanfare... then swiftly shut down just two days later because, well, it couldn鈥檛 handle people's excitement. Or their footsteps...

Designed to mark the year 2000, the bridge was formally inaugurated by Queen Elizabeth II as the winning brainchild of Foster & Partners and Ove Arup & Partners鈥攖hose clever folks you call when you want something to be both futuristic and structurally sound. Stretching 325 meters (or 1060+ feet), it tiptoes across the Thames with eight low-slung suspension cables (tensioned to exert a formidable 2000-ton force against the sturdy piers rooted on each bank) that don鈥檛 dare obstruct your Insta-worthy shot of St. Paul鈥檚 Cathedral.

Indeed, as a pedestrian-only portal between the Tate Modern and Shakespeare鈥檚 Globe on one end, and the mighty dome of St. Paul鈥檚 on the other, the views it affords are truly a chef鈥檚 kiss.

Of course, its opening-day wobble鈥攖hanks to 90,000 enthusiastic pedestrians striding in unintentional unison鈥攅arned it the affectionate moniker 鈥淭he Wobbly Bridge.鈥� But fear not: engineers came to the rescue with over 50 high-tech dampers and stabilizers galore, and by 2002, the bridge was back in action, shimmy-free.

Speaking of dramatic comebacks鈥攜es, that was the very bridge you saw disintegrating in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Death Eaters swoop in, chaos erupts, and the Millennium Bridge bends like a paperclip. Don鈥檛 worry, though鈥攊t was all movie magic. The real bridge stood firm and survived the scene unscathed, unlike its fictional counterpart.

Tip:
Wear good walking shoes, bring a raincoat (because it's London), and don鈥檛 forget to glance down鈥攕ometimes there are funky little art stickers underfoot. Because, again, this is London, and even the pavement might be making a statement.

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Create Your Own Self-Guided Walk to Visit This Sight

Sight Name: Millennium Bridge
Sight Location: London, England (See walking tours in London)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

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