# London Bridge is falling down **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 2, 2000, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/london-bridge-is-falling-down/35354 "2000-10-02T16:55:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Frumpy\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Frumpy\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frumpy_Jones)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2000, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/london-bridge-is-falling-down/35354/1 "2000-10-02T16:55:55Z")
I am trying to figure out where this song came from and what it means. I noticed in a thread that there were SOME allusions to its meanings, but then they got disputed. Is it an AMERICAN song? An ENGLAND song? And what’s it all mean? Thanks 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![barker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/919ad9/32.png) [@barker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barker)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2000, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/london-bridge-is-falling-down/35354/2 "2000-10-02T17:05:36Z")
This nursery rhyme about the destruction of London Bridge by King Olaf (early 11th century). The earlier versions has a man watching the bridge. In 1014, when the Danes held London, the Saxons, under King Ethelred The Unready, were joined by Vikings led by their King Olaf. Together they sailed up the Thames to attack the Bridge and divide the Danes. But men protected their ships with the thatched roofs pulled from the cottages that stood on and over the bridge. They rowed up under the bridge, put their cables around the piles which supported the Bridge, and rowed off, pulling the bridge down. The London Bridge had to be rebuilt (again). ---
**Author:** ![Frumpy\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Frumpy\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frumpy_Jones)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2000, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/london-bridge-is-falling-down/35354/3 "2000-10-02T17:35:29Z")
Dear Lord I love the TM’s! Less than 10 minutes to get the answer! Woo-Hoo! Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Frumpy\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Frumpy\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frumpy_Jones)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2000, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/london-bridge-is-falling-down/35354/4 "2000-10-02T18:06:23Z")
Who WROTE the rhyme? At what time was it written, and where? How many times has London Bridge fallen down? ---
**Author:** ![curwin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@curwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curwin)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2000, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/london-bridge-is-falling-down/35354/5 "2000-10-02T18:10:42Z")
For more info, check out this link (a very interesting site in general): [http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/3041/london.html](http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/3041/london.html) ---
**Author:** ![barker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/919ad9/32.png) [@barker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barker)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2000, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/london-bridge-is-falling-down/35354/6 "2000-10-02T18:36:21Z")
Try this link for history of the London Bridge: [www.bbc.co.uk/history/3d/bridge.shtml](http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/3d/bridge.shtml) I believe that there have been a minimum of 4 “London Bridges”: 1. Early Roman 43 A.D. Pontoon 2. Roman After the Temp Pontoon. Timber 3. Saxon 1176 Stone 4. 1824 The One that was moved to Arizona I’m sure that there were many more between 43 and 1014 A.D. ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2000, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/london-bridge-is-falling-down/35354/7 "2000-10-03T17:50:39Z")
There’s one there still. Crossed it in 1987 and couldn’t resist singing. Made an interesting cantata with the background of “Bloody tourist” chanted unceasingly. 😃