Westminster Bridge Road is a

road A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation. There are many types of ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, England. It runs on an east–west axis and passes through the boroughs of Lambeth and Southwark. Between 1740 and 1746, the Commissioners of Westminster Bridge bought land from the Archbishop of Canterbury and ground in Lambeth Marsh from the Lord Mayor and Commonalty of the

City of London The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London f ...

for the approach to the bridge on the southern (then- Surrey) side. This was the start of Westminster Bridge Road.

The route

From the western end, the road starts as the A302 on the east side of the County Hall roundabout, where

Westminster Bridge Westminster Bridge is a road-and-foot-traffic bridge over the River Thames in London, linking Westminster on the west side and Lambeth on the east side. The bridge is painted predominantly green, the same colour as the leather seats in the ...

, York Road and the A3036

Lambeth Palace Road The A3036 is an A road in London, England, running from Waterloo to Wandsworth. Route It starts at the southern tip of the County Hall roundabout where the A302 Westminster Bridge, York Road and A23 Westminster Bridge Road all interse ...

intersect. Lambeth North 2020 closeup entrance

It then passes under the railway viaduct south of

Waterloo station Waterloo station (), also known as London Waterloo, is a central London terminus on the National Rail network in the United Kingdom, in the Waterloo area of the London Borough of Lambeth. It is connected to a London Underground station of t ...

and crosses

Lower Marsh Lower Marsh is a street in the Waterloo neighbourhood of London, England. It is adjacent to Waterloo railway station in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is the location of Lower Marsh Market. History Until the early 19th century much of nor ...

before reaching the junction at Lambeth North Underground station (named ''Westminster Bridge Road station'' July 1906 — April 1917. There

Baylis Road Baylis Road is a thoroughfare in Lambeth, London SE1, England running between Westminster Bridge Road to the South-West and Waterloo Road to the North-East. At its northern end Baylis Road continues North-East as The Cut. The Old Vic Thea ...

Hercules Road Hercules Road runs north from Lambeth Road near Lambeth Palace, on the site of Penlington Place, in the London Borough of Lambeth, south London, England. The road is named after Hercules Hall, which was built by and was the home of Philip Astle ...

and the A23 branch off, the latter southward as Kennington Road. The road continues as the A3202 and turns to east-northeast as it enters the St George's one-way system (traffic flows eastbound only, including cycles) and ends at St George's Circus, where Waterloo Road, Blackfriars Road,

Borough Road Borough Road is in Southwark, London SE1. It runs east–west between St George's Circus and Borough High Street. History and location The route was created as part of the planning and road improvements associated with the completion of W ...

, London Road and

Lambeth Road Lambeth Road is a road in Lambeth (to the west) and Southwark (to the east), London running between Lambeth Bridge over the River Thames at the western end and St George's Circus at the eastern end. The road is designated the A3203. The boro ...

meet. Originally, the western part of the road was numbered as part of the A23; the latter now starts at Lambeth North tube station and no longer includes Westminster Bridge Road.

Places of interest

The

Florence Nightingale Museum The Florence Nightingale Museum is located at St Thomas' Hospital, which faces the Palace of Westminster across the River Thames in South Bank, central London, England. It is open to the public five days a week, Wednesday to Sunday 10:00am u ...

is at the west end of the street within the grounds of St Thomas' Hospital. Between 1964 and 1994 the office block at 100 Westminster Bridge Road, then known as Century House, was home to the UK's overseas intelligence agency, the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), or more commonly

MI6 The Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), commonly known as MI6 ( Military Intelligence, Section 6), is the foreign intelligence service of the United Kingdom, tasked mainly with the covert overseas collection and analysis of human intelligenc ...

. The building was refurbished and converted into the residential Perspective Building, designed by

Assael Architecture Assael Architecture is a British architectural firm based in London, established in 1994. Background Assael Architecture was established in 1994, co-founded and owned by John Assael and Russell Pedley. Registered in the United Kingdom and a RI ...

. in 2001. The

Lincoln Memorial Tower The Lincoln Memorial Tower or Lincoln Tower is a Gothic revival tower in Lambeth, London, housing small meeting rooms, that was opened in 1876 in memory of Abraham Lincoln, and paid for partly by Americans. Once part of a complex of nineteenth cen ...

built by

Christopher Newman Hall Christopher Newman Hall (22 May 1816 – 18 February 1902), born at Maidstone and known in later life as a 'Dissenter's Bishop', was one of the most celebrated nineteenth century English Nonconformist divines. He was active in social causes; sup ...

in the late 19th century in memory of

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

and the Emancipation Proclamation stands close to the junction with Kennington Road. The

Overseas Development Institute ODI (formerly the 'Overseas Development Institute') is a global affairs think tank, founded in 1960. Its mission is "to inspire people to act on injustice and inequality through collaborative research and ideas that matter for people and the ...

's office is on Westminster Bridge Road. The Roman Catholic

St George's Cathedral, Southwark The Metropolitan Cathedral Church of St George, usually known as St George's Cathedral, Southwark, is the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Southwark, south London, and is the seat of the Archbishop of Southwark. The cathedral i ...

, is between Westminster Bridge Road and St George's Road, the frontage to the diocesan offices being on Westminster Bridge Road.

Morley College Morley College is a specialist adult education and further education college in London, England. The college has three main campuses, one in Waterloo on the South Bank, and two in West London namely in North Kensington and in Chelsea, the la ...

, an adult education college, is located on the road, and so is the associated Morley Gallery.

Former public buildings/landmarks

;Remains visible The London Necropolis railway station rebuilt its terminus in 1902, moving it to Westminster Bridge Road. The station was bombed in the

London Blitz The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term , the German word meaning 'lightning war'. The Germa ...

in 1941 and subsequently closed. Its entrance remains intact at 121 Westminster Bridge Road. ;Entirely replaced The

Canterbury Music Hall The Canterbury Music Hall was established in 1852 by Charles Morton on the site of a former skittle alley adjacent to the Canterbury Tavern at 143 Westminster Bridge Road, Lambeth. It was one of the first purpose-built music halls in London, and ...

stood at 143 Westminster Bridge Road, commissioned by Charles Morton in 1852 when it was built adjacent to the Canterbury Tavern. It was destroyed by

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

Axis powers The Axis powers, ; it, Potenze dell'Asse ; ja, 枢軸国 ''Sūjikukoku'', group=nb originally called the Rome–Berlin Axis, was a military coalition that initiated World War II and fought against the Allies. Its principal members were ...

bombing in 1942. The later Gatti's-in-the-Road music hall opposite was commissioned by

Carlo Gatti Carlo Gatti (1817–1878) was a Swiss entrepreneur in the Victorian era. He came to England in 1847, where he established restaurants and an ice importing business. He is credited with first making ice cream available to the general public a ...

and opened in 1865. It later became a cinema and, after being badly damaged in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, was demolished in 1950.

References

{{coord, 51.49839, N, 0.10819, W, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title, format=dms History of the London Borough of Lambeth History of the London Borough of Southwark Streets in the London Borough of Lambeth Streets in the London Borough of Southwark Odonyms referring to a building