The Millennium Bridge first opened to the public on 10 June 2000. But its genesis came on a napkin in a Fitzrovia wine bar.
Happy 25th birthday to the Millennium Bridge — now a 40th of a millennium old. The sleek span changed the way we get around this part of town, forming a link and an iconic vista between St Paul's and the then-new Tate Modern. It was the first bridge in central London since Tower Bridge more than a century before.
The new bridge was enjoyed for all of two days. It had a wobble. A harmless wobble, but one that the public found very disconcerting. It took almost two years to install the dampers and bracing to correct the problem. The sway has now long-gone, but Londoners of a certain vintage still refer to it as 'the wobbly bridge'.
It's had other nicknames, too. The architects and marketeers would have us call it 'the Blade of Light', in reference to its thin, sliver-like profile when lit up at night. My children call it the 'chewing gum bridge', after the wonderful collection of guerrilla artwork painted onto spent gum by artist Ben Wilson.
After its inglorious debut, the bridge has gone on to win over the hearts of Londoners and tourists alike. The view along the bridge towards St Paul's must be among the most photographed in the capital, if not the world. But where did its unique design come from?
Sketched on a napkin
Bridges have been proposed for this site for well over a century, but the idea had to wait until the 1990s, when a pedestrian crossing was chosen as a Millennium project. Numerous firms entered the competition. Among them was the practice of Norman Foster, who teamed up with engineers Ove Arup and sculptor Anthony Caro.
Their design came together in 1996 during a very long session in a Fitzrovia wine bar. Arup engineers Chris Wise and Roger Ridsdill Smith spent hours sketching out ideas. They knew that a traditional suspension bridge would not be ideal, because its towers would block views of the cathedral. The solution was to pull the cables out to the sides. Like all good ideas, the first sketch was done on the back of a napkin.
Wise and Smith took their idea to Norman Foster and Anthony Caro the next morning. "It turned out to be quite a strong idea," Wise told us. "They immediately went for it." Caro wanted to embed the southern approach to the bridge inside a giant sculpture, as a nod to the nearby Tate Modern. Alas, that concept never got off the drawing board.
Wise is keen to point out that their napkin sketch was just a beginning of the project work, and that we should perhaps not overplay its importance. The finished structure has many differences to his initial sketch. "It took everyone's collective efforts for years to bring it to fruition," he told us. Nevertheless, it's fair to say that the design for the Millennium Bridge began life in a Fitzrovia wine bar.
We pressed Wise on the exact location, which he clearly recalls as Zeldas on Charlotte Street. This wine bar closed long ago, but was at number 74. This is the building that was once called Jamies Bar and was, until recently, the Mere restaurant of celebrity chef Monica Galetti. It is due to reopen soon under new ownership, and we hope the new proprietors put a plaque up or sell a "Wobbly Bridge martini" or something.
The city-changing napkin still survives, incidentally, and is in Wise's possession. "It's got the sequence of all the things we tried leading up to that design," he says . "I do sometimes get it out because people want to talk about it."
Happy birthday Millennium Bridge
A small party was organised to mark the bridge's quarter-century, hosted by the City Bridge Foundation, the ancient charity that looks after the City's bridges.
After a few speeches, we gathered on the southern approach of the bridge, where a special cake appeared (though, given the bridge's history, a jelly might have been more appropriate.)
The cake was cut by the ceremonial representatives of the two shores connected by the bridge: the Lord Mayor of London and the Mayor of Southwark. They seemed to enjoy it.
The occasion also marked the launch of a new poem about the bridge. Cecilia Knapp, as the City Bridge Foundation's resident poet, has written some beautiful verse. QR codes on the bridge will bring it to your phone, or you can read it here.
Happy 1/40th of a millennium to the Millennium Bridge!
