Waterloo Bridge
bridge in London, England, UK
Waterloo Bridge () is a road and foot traffic bridge crossing the River Thames in London, between Blackfriars Bridge and Hungerford Bridge and Golden Jubilee Bridges. Its name commemorates the victory of the British, Dutch and Prussians at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. Thanks to its location at a strategic bend in the river, the bridge offers good views of Westminster, the South Bank and the London Eye to the west, and of the City of London and Canary Wharf to the east.
The bridge was given Grade II* listed structure protection in 1981.
History
First bridge
The first bridge on the site was designed in 1809–10 by John Rennie for the Company of Proprietors of
the Strand Bridge Company). The company built the bridge privately, in return for charging tolls to cross it.
Originally named 'the Strand Bridge', after the Battle of Waterloo the Waterloo Bridge and Approaches Act 1816 (56 Geo. 3. c. lxiii) renamed it 'the Waterloo Bridge'.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Waterloo Bridge” is bridge in London, England, UK. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Waterloo, Bridge and bridge, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “bridge in London, England, UK” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 24, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q501003. VIAF identifies the subject as 315530028. The Library of Congress control number is sh94005426. Authority coordinates are 51.509, -0.117. 1 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1815, 1981, 1809 and 1816.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Waterloo Bridge”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Waterloo Bridge primary sources, Waterloo Bridge archive and Waterloo research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Waterloo Bridge”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Waterloo Bridge” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.