Tourists are only now realizing that the London Bridge doesn’t actually span the River Thames in England, but rather in the Arizona desert.
The iconic bridge’s bizarre move to Lake Havasu City, Arizona, dates back more than half a century, when eccentric millionaire Robert McCulloch bought the bridge in 1968 for an eye-watering $2.46 million – equivalent to about $19 million today .
It is now one of the most famous landmarks in the state. In 2018 alone, it attracted a whopping 3.8 million visitors in 2018, beaten only by the Grand Canyon.
Tourists are only now realizing that the London Bridge is not actually in London, but has been in the Arizona desert for more than 50 years
Against the austere backdrop of Lake Havasu, the relocated London Bridge has stood out since its reopening in 1971
Built in 1831, London’s bridge was put up for sale in 1967 because it was too narrow to accommodate the increasingly wide modern cars, buses and trucks.
Every four years the water also dropped about an inch. Its concrete replacement, which still stands today, opened in 1973.
The idea to sell the monument to an American came from former journalist Ivan Luckin, who at the time was a member of the body responsible for London’s bridges.
There was also precedent for such an undertaking.
Newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst had purchased several old European buildings and shipped them to his vast estate in San Simeon, California.
Luckin had a sales brochure printed and then started looking for a buyer.
In stepped chainsaw magnate McCulloch, who was halfway through building a new city next to Lake Havasu and wanted to transform his newly acquired piece of Arizona desert into a thriving tourist destination.
He decided that the 140-year-old London Bridge would be the perfect showpiece to get people and traffic to the island he created by diverting the Colorado River.
The iconic bridge, which once spanned the Thames River, now spans a mile-long canal in Lake Havasu City, Arizona
Pictured: The London Bridge memorial plaque on the wall of the London Bridge in Lake Havasu
In 1968, the businessman paid about $2.4 million for the bridge’s stones, which weighed more than 30,000 tons.
Also purchased were the bridge’s original ornate lampposts, which were made from melted down cannons captured after Britain’s victory over Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo.
It took almost three years to dismantle and rebuild the bridge.
Each stone shipped had to be numbered so that it could be accurately reconstructed once in the US.
The stones were placed on a cargo ship that sailed through the Panama Canal to Long Beach, California. They were then taken by truck to Lake Havasu City.
The foundation stone of the bridge at its new destination was laid in September 1968 by Sir Gilbert Inglefield, the Mayor of London.
Amazingly, the bridge was built on dry land, before sand was excavated from below to create a mile-long canal filled with water.
The project was supervised by British engineer Robert Beresford.
As described in Travis Elborough’s 2013 book “London Bridge in America,” some of the stones were still pockmarked by World War II shrapnel or etched with old graffiti.
After a new substructure was built, the original stones were gradually incorporated.
The bridge is now the second most popular tourist attraction in Arizona, beaten only by the Grand Canyon
In 2021, the bridge celebrated its 50th anniversary in Lake Havasu City
The bridge’s relocation dates back to 1968, when eccentric millionaire Robert McCulloch purchased the bridge for a whopping $2,460,000 – that’s over $19 million in today’s money.
American entrepreneur Robert P. McCaulloch, standing on London Bridge as it is being dismantled, ready for transport back to America, London, April 18, 1968
Despite some missteps involving placing stones upside down or in the wrong order, the completed bridge was the spitting image of the original version in Britain.
When the bridge was completed, dynamite was used to fill the new canal beneath it with water from Lake Havasu.
In contrast to the dirty water of the Thames, a bright blue line now ran under the bridge.
On a sweltering day in October 1971, with temperatures exceeding 45 degrees, the then Mayor of London, Sir Peter Stud, was present when the bridge was opened.
To mark the occasion, there was a huge parade full of revelers in fancy dress.
Among them were a bunch of Maid Marians, Puritans, cowboys and some Dickensian chimney sweeps.
A recording of Big Ben’s ringing was used to kick off the festivities, which included a gala dinner with chandeliers and armor.
The next day, visitors from Britain were treated to a parachute show and a ride on a miniature paddle steamer, before renditions of ‘God Save the Queen’ and the ‘Star Spangled Banner’.
In a speech, the mayor hoped the bridge would serve as a “lasting monument” to the “bonds of friendship and mutual goodwill… between the American and British people.”
The mayor then helped launch a hot air balloon into the sky. As it rose into the air, the balloon pulled away a piece of cloth covering a memorial plaque.
Next came “a cross between a Fourth of July parade and an episode of the game show It’s a Knockout” until sunset, Elborough described in his book.
There were Chemehuevi Indians in full battle gear, and Boy Scouts holding flags for each of the fifty U.S. states.
There were also cyclists riding on pennies and men dressed as Yeomen of the Guard.
Despite some missteps involving placing stones upside down or in the wrong order, the completed bridge was the spitting image of the original version in Britain
In the photo: The flags of both the United States and Great Britain fly over the bridge today
What may have seemed like a gimmick by McCulloch worked.
Within three years of the bridge’s reopening, Lake Havasu welcomed three million visitors a year, many of whom were drawn by the vast chunks of English history at its heart.
Today, the bridge remains a central part of Lake Havasu City and serves its purpose admirably.
Every year, events and festivals are held on and around the bridge, while hundreds of bats live in its nooks and crannies.
Some wonder whether such a massive undertaking could even happen today.
“From a logistical, technical and construction perspective, it is entirely possible that this could happen today and in less time than it did then,” said Jason Castelucci, director of Strategic Services for Go Lake Havasu. St Georgeutah.
“But the marketplace for deconstructed historic monuments – if it still exists today – is not where most investors would look for a good investment. So yes, it could happen today, but it will take visionaries like McCullough and Wood to make it happen.”
Pictured: The new location for London Bridge – Lake Havasu in Arizona – in 1970
When the bridge was completed, dynamite was used to fill the new canal beneath it with water from Lake Havasu
From a population of just a few hundred in the early 1960s, Lake Havasu City has grown into a thriving community of more than 57,000 residents today.
Although the Federal Highway Administration has since deemed the bridge “functionally obsolete,” the icon remains a major attraction for locals and visitors alike.