Page 180 - Guildhall Coverage Book 2020-21

16 April 2021

Five more bridges in central London have been lit up as part of a major art project to
brighten up the Thames.
They are some of the most iconic sites in the capital and have been commemorated in
literature and art for centuries – from poet Wordsworth’s ‘On Westminster Bridge’ to
legendary painter Claude Monet’s impressionistic views.
The latest bridges to be lit up are Blackfriars, Waterloo, Golden Jubilee, Westminster
and Lambeth.
So when the light dims people can enjoy a Waterloo Sunset in style.

They join the first four bridges to be lit up – London Bridge, Cannon Street, Southwark
and the Millennium Bridge, which were illuminated in 2019 to start off the ten-year
project.

The project by US artist Leo Villareal has been years in the planning. At 3.2 miles it is the
longest public art commission in the world.
The launch marks the end of one of the largest and most detailed planning processes
London has ever seen, with 30 planning permissions and 18 listed building consents
granted.
It has seen the Illuminated River Foundation together with Mr Villareal and British
architects, Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands work more than 50 stakeholders and project
partners includes seven London boroughs, five bridge owners, Transport for London,
Network Rail.