Wandsworth Bridge crosses the
River Thames in west London. It carries the
A217 road between
Battersea, near
Wandsworth Town Station, in the
London Borough of Wandsworth on the south side of the river, and
Sands End and
Parsons Green in
Hammersmith and Fulham on the north side. The first bridge on the site was a
toll bridge, built in 1873 in the expectation that the western terminus of the
Hammersmith and City Railway would shortly be built on the north bank. The terminus was not built, and problems with drainage on the approach road made access to the bridge difficult for vehicles. Wandsworth Bridge was commercially unsuccessful, and in 1880 it was taken into public ownership and made toll-free. Narrow and too weak to carry buses, the bridge was demolished in 1937. The present bridge, an unadorned steel
cantilever bridge, was opened in 1940. It was painted in dull shades of blue as
camouflage against
air raids, a colour scheme it retains. Wandsworth Bridge is one of the busiest bridges in London, carrying over 50,000 vehicles daily. (
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1938 – Benny Goodman(pictured) performed a concert at New York City's
Carnegie Hall which has been considered instrumental in establishing
jazz as a legitimate form of music.
Longleat is an English
stately home and the seat of the
Marquesses of Bath. Built in the 16th century by Sir
John Thynne and designed by
Robert Smythson, it is a leading and early example of the Elizabethan
prodigy house. The house is set in 1,000 acres (400 ha) of parkland landscaped by
Capability Brown, with 4,000 acres (1,600 ha) of let farmland and 4,000 acres (1,600 ha) of woodland, which includes a
Center Parcs holiday village. It was the first stately home to open to the public, and also claims the first
safari park outside Africa.
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