'London bridge is falling down' - History behind the rhyme

'London bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down, London bridge is falling down, my fair lady!' A famous nursery rhyme toddlers learn in kindergarten. With the advent of technology, platforms such as YouTube have made it easier for parents to make kids learn these jingles. And the same is true at my home. While listening to the poem recently, a question struck me: Why is it the London bridge only? Did it really fall? Is there some story tied to the song? And I was not disappointed browsing the subject over the net; in fact, it inspired me to write this blog. Well, let us go ahead and hear out the stories credited to inspire the lyrics.  

  

Firstly, yes, the London bridge indeed fell down. And several times! However, two major tales are considered the progenitor to the lyrics. The first and the earliest recorded instance of the bridge falling down dates to the onset of 11th century, a period when attacks on English by Vikings were common. That slice of history revolves around 3 people: King of Norway 'Olaf II Haraldsson', English King 'Ethelred', and Danish King 'Sweyn Forkbeard' (son of Harald Bluetooth, on whom the technology is named).

Ethelred ruled England from 978 to 1013 and then again in 1014. In 1013, when King Sweyn invaded England, Ethelred had to flee to Normandy to save his life. But King Sweyn died soon after conquering the country. To claim back his land, Ethelred reached to Olaf for help, who went with his fleet of ships and destroyed the bridge, which was used as a launchpad by Danes. The collapse of the bridge paved way for victory to Englishmen. This narrative is scripted in 'Heimskringla', a book by Icelandic poet Snorri Sturluson. The book's 19th century translation, published by Samuel Laing, includes a verse very similar to the nursery rhyme we know today:

 

London Bridge is broken down.

Gold is won, and bright renown.

Shields resounding,

War-horns sounding,

Hild is shouting in the din!

Arrows singing,

Mail-coats ringing

Odin makes our Olaf win.

 

Off to the second and arguably the prominent reason for the lyrics. From the advent of 11th century till as late as 19th century, there was a continuous wear and tear of the bridge. In 1633, a major fire broke out which damaged the bridge. It created a gap in the bridge that was left unrepaired; but it turned to be a boon for the Londoners during the 1666 'Great fire of London'. The Great fire was devastating, to say the least. It wreaked havoc for 5 days, devoured 13k houses, and rendered 100,000 homeless. Around 1/3 of the houses and buildings developed over the bridge (yes, houses and buildings lined the bridge that time) were reduced to ashes, but the gap in the bridge from the 1633 fire acted as a barrier and prevented the flames to reach the other part. Post the pyrotechnics, the bridge was in continuous wear and tear mode until 19th century and was a subject of the satire 'Namby Pamby' by Henry Carey in 1725. The excerpt from the poem goes:

 

Namby Pamby is no clown,

London Bridge is broken down.

Now he courts the gay lay-dee

dancing o'er the Lady-Lee.

 

While we do not know the exact reason, but these tales are the closest to have given words to the rhyme we know so well. Next time, you can narrate the interesting piece of history and flaunt your knowledge whenever you hear this rhyme. 

 
Nerd Notes:

1. London bridge has been over the river Thames (in one form or other) for over 2000 years now. It connects the city of London with Southwark (once a separate town but now a part of London).
2. Namby Pamby means weak, feeble; an apt satire to have London bridge as a subject.
3. The London Bridge Act of 1756 purchased all the properties on the bridge for demolition.
4. The famous, elegant bridge that you have in mind is the Tower bridge. It is different from the actual London bridge. See the image below. 

Surprised? Do mention in the comments, if yes.

Thanks for reading. Hope you liked the post. Keep smiling, practice yoga and always mask up while outside. 

Important thing: If you have still not been vaccinated, please get jabbed at the earliest. Take care!

- Prakhar