A three-year rolling programme

• Southwark Bridge will be returned to its original bright colours of green and yellow
• 13,000 litres of paint will be used on Southwark Bridge
• 26,000 man hours to complete the Southwark Bridge job over a four – year period
• £2.5 million to complete Southwark Bridge facelift
• 1,000 tonnes of expendable abrasive will be used to blast Southwark Bridge back to its metal framework before repainting

The old coatings have been removed and the Blast Primer applied. This image was taken underneath the South Approach and shows the High Build Aluminium Primer being applied.

Southwark Bridge is an arch bridge linking Southwark and the City across the River Thames. It was designed by Ernest George and Basil Mott and opened in 1921.

• A previous bridge on the site, designed by John Rennie, opened in 1819. This was known as the “Iron Bridge” in comparison to London Bridge, the “Stone Bridge”. It is frequently referenced by Charles Dickens, for example in Little Dorritt and Our Mutual Friend.
• Below the bridge on the south side are some old steps, which were once used by Thames watermen as a place to moor their boats and wait for customers. Southwark Bridge was built into the steps.
• The next bridge upstream is the London Millennium Bridge and the next downstream is Cannon Street Railway Bridge.
• The south end is near the Tate Modern, the Clink Prison Museum and the Financial Times building. The north end is near Cannon Street station

You can follow the restoration of Southwark Bridge on our dedicated website at www.southwarkbridge.co.uk

London’s  Tower Bridge is also being restored – you can follow the restoration on our dedicated website at www.thetowerbridge.info