With our Daily Constitutional archive now bulging with more than 3,500 posts, we've decided to spend the long summer days of August sharing some of our favorite moments from the past seven years. We hope you enjoy them!
This one was first posted back in August 2010…
Five Unorthodox Events on London’s Bridges…
(Artist's Impression of London Bridge circa. 1630)1. In Flagrante DelictoThe journals of James Boswell, chronicler of the life of Doctor Johnson, record an assignation with a prostitute on Westminster Bridge under cover of fog.
2. Hanging BankersRoberto Calvi, dubbed “God’s Banker” because of his associations with The Vatican, was found hanging from Blackfriars Bridge on 18th June 1982. Suicide? Murder? An inquest in 1983 returned an Open Verdict.
3. Poisoning SpiesBulgarian dissident Georgi Markov was murdered on Waterloo Bridge by the Bulgarian secret police in conjunction with the KGB. Their modus operandi? Stabbing him in the calf with a poison-tipped umbrella.
4. Wibbling (and Wobbling)The Millennium Bridge suffered an “unexpected lateral vibration” on the 12th June 2000 – leading to its unwanted nickname of The Wibby Wobbly Bridge.
5. You're NickedIn March 1953, on-the-run serial killer John Christie (of 10 Rillington Place notoriety) was arrested on Putney Bridge.
A London Walk costs £10 – £8 concession. To join a London Walk, simply meet your guide at the designated tube station at the appointed time. Details of all London Walks can be found at www.walks.com.
