Bridge (ward)

Coordinates: 51°30′40″N 0°05′06″W / 51.511°N 0.085°W / 51.511; -0.085

Bridge is a small ward in the City of London and is named from its closeness to London Bridge. Since boundary changes in 2003, Bridge is bounded by the River Thames to the south; Swan Lane and Gracechurch Street to the west; Fenchurch Street to the north; and Rood Lane and Lovat Lane to the east.

The ward includes Fishmongers' Hall, St. Magnus-the-Martyr church, the Monument to the Great Fire of London, and the full span of London Bridge.

Bridge Within and Bridge Without

The present day ward of Bridge was historically (1550-1978) known as Bridge Within — a separate ward called Bridge Without existed south of the Thames in Southwark between 1550 and 1899. In 1550 the new ward of Bridge Without was created to cover the City's area of control of three manors in Southwark (the newly acquired King's Manor and Great Liberty added to the Guildable Manor which it had controlled since 1327), the Court of Aldermen appointing its alderman; there were never any members of the Court of Common Council elected there as the three Courts Leet of the Manors fulfilled that representative role. The existing ward north of the river became Bridge Within.