LDesigned by architects Sir Reginald Blomfield and G. Topham Forrest with London County Council engineer Sir George Humphreys, Lambeth Bridge was officially opened on 19 July 1932 by George V and Queen Mary. It is a five-span steel arch structure, adorned by decorative obelisks at either end and with piers and abutments clad in Cornish granite. Above each pier are the carved London County Council coats of arms, flanked by dolphins. Carrying four lanes of road traffic, the bridge is 776 feet long and 60 feet wide and cost nearly £1 million to erect. The colour scheme emphasises red, the colour of the leather benches in the House of Lords, which is near the bridge’s northern landing.

Before the Old Lambeth Bridge was constructed, a horse ferry operated here for centuries. Owned by successive Archbishops of Canterbury, the profitable ferry was the only location in London where you could cross the Thames with a horse and cart. The horse ferry was far bigger than most ferries of the time although it was not always failsafe. Through the years Oliver Cromwell, James I and at least one Archbishop are all rumoured to have fallen in the water here.
The Lambeth Bridge Company commissioned engineer Peter William Barlow to design the original Lambeth Bridge, which was opened in November 1862 by a local businessman named Mr Hodges travelling across in his new fire engine. The 828-foot-long suspension bridge supported two 32-foot towers and crossed the river between Market Street, Westminster (which later became Horseferry Road), and Church Street, Lambeth. The bridge was largely used by pedestrians paying a day toll, since the approaches were too steep for heavily laden horse-drawn carts. The Archbishop, who had the right to perceive the FERRY fares, was not very happy about the construction of that new and first bridge…

The obelisks at each end of the bridge appear to be topped with pineapples. What these fruits represent has been much debated. Some believe they are actually pinecones, an ancient symbol of hospitality. Others believe they are Masonic emblems of enlightenment. A popular theory is that they are a reference to the Tradescant family who settled in Lambeth in the 17^th century. Father and then son attained the title of Keeper of His Majesty’s Garden, managing the Queen’s palace grounds at Oatlands, near Weybridge in Surrey. It was here that John Tradescant the Younger cultivated the first pineapple to grown on British soil.

The International Maritime Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations which is responsible for measures to improve the safety and security of international shipping and to prevent pollution from ships.

A watch house for the drunk and disorderly and particularly body-snatchers raiding graves.

Watchmen wearing white overcoats and carrying lanterns were meant to be seen and heard, they called the time and weather. Watchmen wearing blue were 'silent' and checked dark corners of the local area.

Bodysnatching was common in this area as surgeons at the local Guy's hospital required fresh corpses and body parts for medical research. This practice was common around London and 'Resurrection Men' would take bodies from graves and disguise them as merchandise.

Legally, only bodies of convicted criminals could be taken.  In 1832, The Anatomy Act was passed, making it an offence to rob a grave. It was only legal to dissect the unclaimed bodies of people who had died in hospitals or poor houses

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was invited to unveil this statue of 12th century Indian philosopher ‘Basaveshwara’ on the banks of the river Thames. Neeraj Patil, former mayor of the London borough of Lambeth, the brain behind the statue had met PM Modi in New Delhi prevously and extended an invitation to him to inaugurate the statue during his 2013 visit to the UK,

Basaveshwara (1134-1168), born in Karnataka, pioneered the idea of democracy as a social reformer and statesman. He attempted to create a casteless society and fought against caste and religious discrimination.