Cross River Traffic: A History of London's Bridges: Amazon.co.uk: Chris Roberts: Books

Review

'Years of research and years of wearing out his shoes walking across the city's bridges has paid off... The book is packed full of great tales' South London Press
'Fascinating new book... a good read for anyone interested in the metropolis' What's on in London
'Roberts lives at Elephant and Castle in South London- roughly equidistant from every bridge from Tower Bridge to Vauxhall- which must make him particularly well- qualified to write this entertaining book' Canal Boat & Inland Waterways
'Roberts is a lucid and funny writer - his ability to provide a historical overview as he focuses on bygone detail makes fascinating reading' Sainsbury's Magazine This delightful little book sketches biographies of each of London's bridges, from Hammersmith in the west to Tower Bridge in the east, that span what the author, in Conradian style, calls the "haunted, uncivilised force" of the Thames. Roberts, who has also written an ebullient study of nursery rhymes, Heavy Words Lightly Thrown, wears his research lightly with a witty, conversational tone (Hammersmith Bridge is "enjoyably nuts", and has survived "even the terrifying ordeal of the scathing words of art critic Brian Sewell"). -- Guardian. Roberts's tone is pleasantly relaxed. Adopting a chatty style, he's never slow to qualify an architectural detail with an anecdote, still managing to hold back enough information for sections on "Brief Bridge Facts", which detail the vital statistics, and some notes on the engineers and architects. Hammersmith bridge is fairly useless ("In the space of thirty years (it) was closed, repaired, opened, bombed, closed, re-repaired, bombed again and eventually re-opened"); Waterloo is "the crossing of romantics and suicides", and the Millennium bridge offers diversions such as the Budgie Man, a street entertainer whose show is "Part Blue Peter, largely avian and completely bonkers". There are very few books that inspire readers to go and physically exert themselves, but this one should have people criss-crossing the Thames until their shoes wear out. -- Independent.

Live in London

"This book is a delightful history of London's bridges and the
photographs alone make it well worth a look."

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

good tales from the riverbank! 10 Oct 2006

By BB

Format:Paperback

A social history of London Bridges might have been a better title as Cross River Traffic is a social history book not an engineering tome. As such, there are fantastic stories associated with the bridges and other tales from the riverbank, and loads, in the version I have, about activities on the river. It is witty, modern and entertainingly written and the photos are clearly (in keeping with the rest of the book) an attempt to make the reader look at the bridges in a different fashion. As a general reader I found it easy to grasp the reasons why the bridges were built and, as a Londoner, intrigued as to how much they have shaped the city and delighted by the many humourous anecdotes attached to the crossings.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

Great Book 4 Oct 2006

By Lee

Format:Hardcover

This really is a gem of a book for anyone who loves London. Riverside walks are also all the more enjoyable for it! Far from being a dry history, it's packed with interesting tales and is immensely readable. Recommended.

great 1 Jan 2010

By Alfred Collins

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

i enjoyed this book. it's quite technical and presumes an interest in london's bridges! A writing style that works for me, as my interest is kept, with the little diversions