Qualla: London Bridge (Lake Havasu City)

London Bridge (Lake Havasu City): Introduction

Fri, 23 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Nor56Ubr6, Public domain. "That's the craziest idea I have ever heard." Robert McCulloch's initial reaction to his real estate agent's suggestion became the foundation for one of America's strangest landmarks. McCulloch had a problem: he owned thousands of acres of desert land on the shores of Lake Havasu, but no one wanted to buy property in a place far from population centers with punishing summer heat. His agent, Robert Plumer, learned that London Bridge was for sale. Not a replica, not a theme park attraction, but the actual bridge that had spanned the River Thames since 1831, the last project of engineer John Rennie the Elder. McCulloch paid $2.46 million, for the privilege of dismantling a piece of British history and reassembling it in Arizona. It was indeed crazy. It also worked spectacularly.

Image: Nor56Ubr6 | Public domain

London Bridge (Lake Havasu City): A Bridge Too Weak

Fri, 23 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Guninvalid, CC0. By 1962, the London Bridge that had served the city for over 130 years could no longer handle modern traffic. It was sinking, slowly but measurably, under the weight of cars and buses it was never designed to carry. The City of London put it up for sale in April 1968, planning to...

Image: Guninvalid | CC0

London Bridge (Lake Havasu City): Stone by Numbered Stone

Fri, 23 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Skarg at en.wikipedia, CC BY 3.0. The logistics of moving a bridge across an ocean seem impossible until you realize you only need the skin. Workers removed the facing stones, numbering each one and cataloguing its position. The granite was shipped to a quarry in Merrivale, Devon, where sections were sliced off t...

Image: Skarg at en.wikipedia | CC BY 3.0

London Bridge (Lake Havasu City): Building a Channel for a Bridge

Fri, 23 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Alan Stark from Goodyear, AZ, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0. Here is where McCulloch's scheme turned truly audacious. The bridge was not rebuilt over water. It was erected on dry land between the main city and Pittsburgh Point, a peninsula jutting into Lake Havasu. Only after construction finished did a company dredge the Bridgewater Chann...

Image: Alan Stark from Goodyear, AZ, United States | CC BY-SA 2.0

London Bridge (Lake Havasu City): The Scheme That Paid Off

Fri, 23 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Marine 69-71, CC BY-SA 4.0. McCulloch's gamble worked beyond expectation. Prospective land buyers who would never have considered remote desert property came to see the famous bridge and stayed for tours of available lots. Sales improved dramatically. Because McCulloch had acquired the land at essentially n...

Image: Marine 69-71 | CC BY-SA 4.0

London Bridge (Lake Havasu City): Hollywood Comes to the Desert

Fri, 23 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Charles O'Rear, Public domain. The incongruity of London Bridge in Arizona has attracted filmmakers since its arrival. In 1972, a television special starring Tom Jones and Jennifer O'Neill celebrated the relocation. The 1985 TV movie "Bridge Across Time" imagined the spirit of Jack the Ripper transported to 19...

Image: Charles O'Rear | Public domain