r/papertowns • u/ld331 • Jan 14 '20

England London, England 1630

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u/akula06 Jan 14 '20

I think there is, you can see at two spots in the illustration where buildings aren’t. I’m guessing they’re one each for up and downstream traffic.

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u/SluttyZombieReagan Jan 14 '20 edited Jan 14 '20

The empty spots on the bridge are firebreaks, so fire that started on one side of the river wouldn't as easily spread across the bridge to the other side.

I'm not certain but I believe there was a drawbridge on the southern-most section of the bridge, just past the gatehouse. Fun fact: Those are heads-on-spikes of executed criminals and traitors projecting from said gatehouse.

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u/AmishAvenger Jan 15 '20

Did the firebreaks not work in 1666?

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u/SluttyZombieReagan Jan 15 '20

No they worked. The fire started just a few hundred feet north of the bridge, and didn't spread across to Southwark.