If London Bridge is standing why is there a song about it falling down?

Answer 1

The 'London Bridge is falling down' Nursery Rhyme(song) is based on the one of the most famous landmarks in London. It's history can be traced to the Roman occupation of England in the first century. The first London Bridge was made of wood and clay and was fortified or re-built with the various materials mentioned in the children's nursery rhyme.

Answer 2

The London Bridge that is refered too is the 2nd London Bridge built. There have been 4 recorded bridges at that particular crossing point.
The First was either of Roman or pre Roman construction and was destroyed sometime in the Dark Ages.
The 2nd was Built and is the most Famous and longest lived on Bridge on record. It was also the most dangerous for crossing over or under and survived for over 700 years before being torn down. The falling down was the buildings over the bridge falling down due to overhang, poor maintenance and general disrepair. The most famous of all was Nonsuch house which was close to the Drawbridge gatehouse over the 5th to 8th Starlings (piers).
The Bridge was replaced by a more wider cleaner bridge in the mid 19th century and lasted just over 100 years before being sold to an oil company in the US and transported.
The Current bridge is even wider and stronger, but will have to be replaced I suspect a lot quicker than the previous ones.

Answer 3

There have been a number of London bridges. The one in the song does not refer to the one in Arizona! The song is at least 200 years old. One London bridge had shops and houses built all along it and I think this is the one that was crumbling so had to be rebuilt. The current one dates from about 1973 and is in my opinion the ugliest of all the brigdes on the Thames in London.

Answer 4

London Bridge
The first London Bridge was built by Romans sometime after AD43 and some of its wooden remains have been uncovered on the north side of the river. During its life the wooden structure was renewed several times, and it was probably to this earliest bridge that the nursery rhyme ‘London Bridge is falling down’ refers. Indeed, at one time, one of these structures was washed away by a flood, and another was torn down by invading Vikings, led by Olaf the Norseman in 1014.

The wooden structure was eventually replaced with a stone bridge which commenced building in 1176 and featured twenty arches and stone piers with a drawbridge. This took thirty years to complete and houses and shops were incorporated to help pay for the upkeep of the bridge.

It would have been this bridge that was in place during Charles Dickens youth and he remembers it in Great Expectations, when Pip crossed it in great despair, having recently learned that Estella was to be married to Drummle. It also featured in David Copperfield, as his favourite place to sit.

‘I was wont to sit in one of the stone recesses watching the people going by, or to look over the balustrades at the sun shining in the water and lighting up the golden flame on top of the Monument.’
One of these stone recesses has been preserved in the grounds of Guy’s Hospital.

In 1825 a new bridge, designed by John Rennie, was opened, as the old one could no longer cope with the increasing traffic. This bridge was widened in 1902, and was the bridge that Dickens had in mind during Oliver Twist. In fact, the steps that used to lead down to the river to the west of the bridge were known as ‘Nancy’s Steps’. This was due to the fateful conversation, overheard by Noah Claypole, that Nancy had with Mr Brownlow on a flight of steps on the Surrey bank, on the same side of the bridge as St Saviour’s Church (now Southwark Cathedral). It was because of this bridge that Dickens knew how it was possible for Noah Claypole to conceal himself, but still hear what was being said.

‘These stairs are part of the bridge; they consist of three flights. Just below the end of the second, going down, the stone wall on the left terminates in an ornamental pilaster facing towards the Thames. At this point the lower steps widen so that a person turning the angle of the wall is necessarily unseen by any others on the stairs who chance to be above him, if only a step.’
It was in this way that Claypole was able to overhear the conversation which eventually lead to the death of Nancy at the hands of Bill Sykes.

In 1970, this bridge was sold to Lake Havasu City, Arizona, as an even larger bridge was needed, and the bridge that we see today was finally opened in 1973.

Answer 5

The first london bridge , could not stand the tide waves of the ocean and the storm waves, and collapesed. it could not withstand the tension created. if search the net u might even find the movie of it being collapsing i saw it on the tv.
this song talks about that london bridge, there is a new bridge there with the same name

Answer 6

that is not London Bridge it is Tower Bridge...it's a common misconception...there were two london bridge's the first one was destroyed but they built a second that is now in Lake Havasu City, Arizona

there is also a London Bridge in London

Answer 7

Different London Bridge. The one in the song was transported brick by brick to America

Answer 8

There have been 3 bridges.

Answer 9

i thought that the first bridge got built on so much with shops houses etc that it ended up being more like a village itself, but the original structure couldnt handle the amount of things ontop so parts of the structure kept falling down. and then being rebuild again ... hence the repetativeness of the song.

Answer 10

It has been destroyed and rebuilt a few times in the history.
-In the 1st century, during the Roman occupation, it was destroyed
-then there were the Viking invaders
-disasters such as fires and storms also has struck the bridge
And yes....strangely enough, the famous English landmark do not belong to the English!