Established to maintain London Bridge. Named after Bridge House, the original administrative and maintenance centre located where St Olaf House now is. Originally funded by tolls from London Bridge, from the rents of the buildings on the bridge and from charitable donations. The Fund now administers all 5 City bridges (Blackfriars Bridge, Millennium Bridge, Southwark Bridge, London Bridge and Tower Bridge) and owns enough property that it is self-sufficient.
The logo of Bridge House Estates, known as the 'Bridge Mark', is one of the earliest in continuous use. We have seen it on various plaques and photographed it on the East Sheen alcove. We also found it in the stonework on an 1887 building in Chancel Street (changed name from Robert Street between wars) SE1, now (2014) used by the Electoral Reform Society. The stonework also reveals "AI" standing for the "Albert Institute". Southwark Charities gives some information about its creation but there is no reference to the Bridge House Estates, so we cannot explain the logo in the stone decorations, indeed, we are beginning to wish we had not noticed it.
2016: Ian Visits explains the recent revamp of this charity.
2023: The grant-making arm, City Bridge Trust, and Bridge House Estates merged and rebranded as City Bridge Foundation.
2024: Londonist explain why Blackfriars Bridge and London Bridge are fully within the City of London, while other London bridges are half in and half out.
Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them