London Fire. Temporary Bridge of London on Fire, 1758. Chamberlain c1773.

by Chamberlain, Henry

View of the TEMPORARY BRIDGE of London on FIRE in the NIGHT of April 11th 1758.

In 1755 the Houses on Old London Bridge were demolished and the central piers of the bridge were removed to allow greater flow of the Thames. A temporary wooden bridge was constructed across the central gap. This is one of a pair of views of the disastrous fires that changed the face of London in the 16th and 17th centuries. The other showed the Dreadful Fire of 1666.

Original copperplate engraving published in London circa 1773 for Henry Chamberlain’s "History of London. A new and compleat history and survey of the cities of London and Westminster, the borough of Southwark, and parts adjacent..”. These interesting (and sometimes controversial) scenes were all surrounded by beautiful, intricately engraved borders of scrolls, vines and flowers. The images would have been published in black and white, but this one has been hand-tinted with watercolour at some time, which greatly enhances the drama of the situation.

Page measures 360 x 230mm (14 x 8.5), with wide borders around the engraved image. Measurement to plate mark is 245 x 160mm (9.6 x 6.25 inches).