A quarter of a century after it opened… and promptly closed, London’s most famous footbridge is celebrating its 25th birthday.
Millennium Bridge, which spans the Thames between St Paul’s Cathedral and the Tate Modern, was crossed by around 90,000 people on its opening day, June 10 2000.
But the gleaming landmark, designed to resemble a ‘blade of light’, was forced to close after three days due to an alarming swaying motion which saw it dubbed the ‘wobbly bridge’.
After having dampers fitted to stop the wobbling, the crossing reopened in February 2002 when responsibility for it passed to the 900-year-old City Bridge Foundation, which will mark the anniversary with a cake-cutting ceremony on the bridge.
From Tuesday 10 June, visitors to the bridge will be able to scan a QR code and listen to a specially written poem in tribute to the bridge, penned by the foundation’s poet-in-residence, Cecilia Knapp.
Paul Martinelli, City Bridge Foundation chair, said: “A quarter of a century after it opened, it’s now hard to imagine this stretch of the River Thames without Millennium Bridge, which has become a true London icon.
“Despite its teething troubles, the bridge has become firmly established in the hearts of Londoners, providing a very handy crossing point between two of the capital’s top tourist attractions, and a stunning backdrop to countless pictures.
“As a charity with 900 years of history behind us, we’re proud to have the youngest of all the Thames crossings among the five bridges we look after at no cost to the taxpayer.”
A competition for a new crossing over the Thames – the first since Tower Bridge over a century earlier – was launched by Southwark Council, the Royal Institute of British Architects and the Financial Times.
The winning entry, designed without tall suspension towers to avoid blocking the view of St Paul’s, was a partnership between architectural firm Foster + Partners, founded by Lord (Norman) Foster, the late sculptor Sir Anthony Caro and engineers Arup.
Lord Foster, Founder and Executive Chairman of Foster + Partners, said: ““At the time of the competition for this bridge, my first sketch was for “a blade of light” – the most minimal intervention on the axis of St Paul’s. Its realisation as a collaboration between architecture, art and engineering has since transformed this quarter of London and opened up a fresh perspective on the River Thames. It demonstrates the power of connectivity to deliver social and economic benefits. We are grateful for this opportunity to extend the pedestrian network of London”.
Among those attending the ceremony on the bridge will be Chris Wise, who was part of the original team of engineers that designed the bridge. Chris, along with colleague Roger Ridsdill Smith, sketched out an early version of the ultra-minimalist concept on the back of a napkin in a central London wine bar.
He said: “We spent hours in there, sketching and sketching and trying to come up with an idea. We got more and more minimal until it was one line connecting the river from side to side. We took it to Norman [Foster] and straight away he said: ‘That’s it!’
“I was on the bridge on opening day with my son on my shoulders when it started to wobble. I did feel very responsible, but I don’t recall any sense of crisis – it was more fascination, what’s the problem and what can we do about it?
“I really enjoy seeing people walking across the bridge between St Paul’s and the Tate Modern – something they couldn’t do before. It’s great to have been involved in something that’s now part of the fabric of London.”
The specially commissioned poem to mark the anniversary, All Around Us, Silver, includes a line from the poet John Donne – buried at St Paul’s Cathedral – and references the ‘blade of light’.
