Vauxhall Bridge: The River Crossing of Secrets

Vauxhall Bridge in London, opened on May 26, 1906, spans the River Thames opposite the MI6 Headquarters and features a secret two-foot model of Saint Paul's Cathedral held by its Architecture statue. Designed by Terry Farrell, the adjacent intelligence fortress replaced Century House following a 1987 development deal. The current bridge replaced the Thames's first iron bridge.

London Β· from the walk β€œSecrets of Westminster & MI6” Β· audio ~4 min Β· Generated

Vauxhall Bridge: The River Crossing of Secrets

Vauxhall Bridge, London SW8 1RX

Which statue on London's Vauxhall Bridge holds a miniature model of Saint Paul's Cathedral?

Take a look across the water. That enormous, stepped, cream-and-green fortress staring back at you... is the headquarters of MI six, Britain's Secret Intelligence Service. Insiders call it Legoland. Others have called it CeauΘ™escu Towers, or even the Vauxhall Trollop. And the story of how it got here is almost as strange as the spies inside it.......... Before moving to Vauxhall, MI six was based at Century House... a drab tower block near Lambeth North, whose identity was, as The Daily Telegraph once quipped, "London's worst-kept secret, known only to every taxi driver, tourist guide and Kgb agent." By the nineteen eighties, the building was completely compromised. A nineteen eighty-five report labelled it "irredeemably insecure." So the hunt for a new home began. In nineteen eighty-seven, a developer called Regalian Properties approached the government, and they quickly agreed... but the intended occupants were kept top secret, even from other branches of government.......... Now look at that building's design. Architect Terry Farrell drew inspiration from nineteen thirties industrial modernism, like Battersea Power Station... and Mayan and Aztec temples. The windows are triple-glazed for security, and large parts of the building sit Below street level, connected by secret underground corridors. It even has Two moats for protection. And here's the legend that refuses to die... the site is rumoured to include a tunnel under the Thames, running straight from the building to Whitehall. A National Audit Office report on the building's construction deliberately omits certain classified modifications. Rob Humphrey's London: The Rough Guide suggests one of those secret features is precisely this tunnel. Nobody has confirmed it. Nobody has denied it.......... But now... turn your attention to the bridge beneath your feet. The original Vauxhall Bridge was the First iron bridge over the Thames, built by a private company and operated as a toll bridge. Tolls ranged from a penny for pedestrians to two shillings and sixpence for vehicles drawn by six horses... though mail coaches, soldiers on duty, and parliamentary candidates were exempt. The current bridge opened on the twenty sixth of May, nineteen oh six.......... But here is the detail that almost Nobody knows. If you walk along the upriver side of this bridge, pause by the second iron column, lean over the parapet, and look at the hands of the statue representing Architecture... you will find a perfectly detailed miniature of Saint Paul's Cathedral. The model is about two feet long and has been hiding in plain sight for over a hundred years. No other British river crossing contains sculpture... and This one holds a secret cathedral in her hands.......... And one last delicious detail. When the Bond film Skyfall premiered, a special screening was held right inside that building across the river... and MI six staff Cheered when they watched their own headquarters get blown up on screen. Even spies, it turns out, have a sense of humor.

Unlocked for everyone by someone who walked here

Nearby stories