Of the many bridges crossing the River Thames – more than 30! -  the oldest seems to be London Bridge (which opened in 1209), the newest Millennium Bridge (which opened in 2002), the most famous is probably Tower Bridge (which opened in 1894 and can be visited year-round), but one of the most charming is Albert Bridge, also known as "The Trembling Lady "

"Oh, the many things I love about the Albert Bridge." says Deborah Crombie, the Crime Novelist

"I know the Tower Bridge is more famous and more imposing, but I think the Albert Bridge is the prettiest bridge in London, with its lacy double span.  It is certainly the most beautiful at night--lit with over 4,000 bulbs, it looks like fairy land.

It's also one of the quirkiest bridges.  It was built as a toll bridge, and still has the original toll booths.  It's also known as "The Trembling Lady" because it vibrates when large numbers of people walk on it.  There are even signs at both ends warning the soldiers from nearby Chelsea Barracks not to walk in step across it.

The bridge's pretty pastel colors were added to make it more visible to river shipping traffic, but I always think it looks like a very fancy wedding cake.

Built in 1873, it's structurally very unsound, even after a number of engineering upgrades.  Some of the improvements were made between 1884 and 1887 by Sir Joseph Bazalgette, the brilliant engineer who designed the London sewer system. 

And of course, the Albert Bridge spans the Thames between Cheyne Walk in Chelsea and Battersea, and it would be hard to find a more glamorous setting.

My novel, Where Memories Lie, is set mostly in Chelsea, and while most of the book is contemporary, part of the story takes place in May of 1952.  A detective is called to the scene of a murder that has taken place in a little garden just off Cheyne Walk.  I wrote the scene imagining that it was dusk, and I had my detective glance at the lights just coming on the Albert Bridge.

Then it occurred to me that I had no idea if the bridge was lit in 1952!  It took me a couple of day’s research to discover that the bridge was first lit in May of 1951 for the Festival of Britain.  Whew.  I'd have been very disappointed to have had to put out the lights!"

Deborah Crombie, Crime Novelist