What is the history of the nursery rhyme London Bridge is Falling Down?

There have been a number of different London Bridges over the past 2000 years. The one to which the nursery rhyme refers is the one started by engineer John Rennie in 1825 and finished in 1831. The design was superior, containing only five high arches, and constructed from strong Dartmoor granite. It was opened by King William the fourth in 1831. When it became necessary to widen the bridge some 70 years later, this process weakened the bridge's foundations to the point where it began sinking an inch every eight years. In 1968, it was auctioned and sold for $2,460,000 to Robert McCulloch who moved it to Havasu City, Arizona, where it was rebuilt brick by brick, and finally opened and dedicated on 10 October 1971.