"Eagle-eyed sorts looking at Blackfriars Bridge in central London may notice something odd dangling from the middle - a bale of straw. It's there because repairs to the bridge are underway, and when the arches are open to river traffic but have a restricted height, mariners need to be warned. And for reasons long since lost to the mists of time, the preferred option is to dangle some straw or hay from the bridge. And although the bylaws governing the Thames are regularly updated, they keep clause 36.2 requiring the bale of straw to be intact every time, because why not?"
"The arrival of the bundle of straw marked the restart of major renovation work on Blackfriars Bridge, a Grade II listed Victorian structure owned and maintained by City Bridge Foundation, the charity responsible for five Thames crossings. As part of the works, scaffolding has been wrapped around part of one of the middle arches, which is why the bundle of straw was needed. It's expected that the straw warning sign will be in place until the end of the year, so you'll have plenty of time to point it out to your friends when walking along the river and impress them with your keen eyesight and understanding of strange London laws."
"Much of the work focuses on renewing the bridge's ornate ironwork. During the work, around 800-900 balusters, from a total of roughly 2,000 lining the bridge, will be carefully restored or replaced. Each must be individually identified, as the Victorians used nine subtly different baluster designs. Where needed, replacement iron components are being sand cast at a family-run Midlands foundry using methods similar to those used when the bridge was first built."
"In addition, nearly 140 decorative roundels overlooking the river will be regilded by hand, and the old paint removed and replaced with a longer-lasting red paint. The work is expected to continue until early 2028 and is being led by infrastructure and heritage spe"
A bale of straw hangs from the middle of Blackfriars Bridge in central London because bridge repairs are underway and river traffic requires warnings when arch height is restricted. The warning method is mandated by a long-standing Thames bylaw clause requiring the bale of straw to remain intact. The straw signals the restart of major renovation work on the Grade II listed Victorian bridge, owned and maintained by the City Bridge Foundation. Scaffolding wrapped around part of an arch makes the straw warning necessary. The project includes renewing ornate ironwork, restoring or replacing about 800–900 of roughly 2,000 balusters with nine Victorian design variations, sand casting replacement components in the Midlands, regilding nearly 140 decorative roundels by hand, and repainting with longer-lasting red paint. Work is expected to continue until early 2028.
#blackfriars-bridge #thames-navigation #bridge-renovation #victorian-ironwork #city-bridge-foundation
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