Photos © Pat Tyler Tuesday, May 3, 2005

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Owen Tyler poses beside the Classic Coach.



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Hydrangas in Profusion



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This is the famous London Bridge.

Actually, the London Bridge we sang about when we were children now resides
at Lake Havasu City on the Arizona/California border.

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A little history:
The stone London Bridge was begun around the year 1176 and completed in the early years of the 13th century. The first 'London Bridge' was Roman and probably built of timber.

The model above shows the Bridge around the years of 1540. As the historical drawings show, the Bridge's silhouette changed constantly - with buildings being demolished and replaced. Throughout its history, the Bridge was a busy thoroughfare, lined with shops. In 1666, the houses on London Bridge were saved from the Great Fire of London thanks to an earlier fire in 1633 which had destroyed the houses near to the north bank. In the mid 1700s, the houses on the Bridge were removed completely and a larger mid arch was created by removing one of the piers or starlings. In the 1820s, a new London Bridge was built north of the old London Bridge and it opened in 1831. In that same year, the destruction of the old bridge began in earnest after a lifetime of some 622 years.

In 1962, London Bridge was falling down (again). Built in 1831, the bridge couldn't handle the ever-increasing flow of traffic across the Thames River. The British government decided to put the bridge up for sale. Lake Havasu City, Arizona submitted the winning bid of $2,460,000. The bridge was dismantled, and each stone was carefully marked. Everything was shipped 10,000 miles to Long Beach, California, and then trucked to Lake Havasu City. Reconstruction began on September 23, 1968, with a ceremony including the Lord Mayor of London, who laid the cornerstone. The bridge was dedicated and returned to service on October 10, 1971. The location has become a popular getaway venue for college students on spring break.

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