Albert Bridge, River Thames

Snapped this rather splendid shot of the Albert Bridge, one of my three favourite bridges that span the river Thames; the other two being Tower Bridge and Hammersmith Bridge.

I have always loved this bridge with its chains that fan out from the two towers of its structure, adorned with thousands of LED lights which, along with the unusual painted colour scheme makes it particularly conspicuous and beautiful - especially at night.

It is one of only two bridges that has never been replaced (the other is Tower Bridge) since it was built way back in 1873, although several changes have been incorporated to strengthen the original construction, including some of the design elements of a suspension bridge and more recently (well, back in 1973 anyway), a couple of concrete piers.

It was affectionately known by some as the 'Trembling Lady' due to the fact that marching soldiers from the nearby Chelsea Barracks would cause vibrations to reverberate through the bridge as they marched across it and to this day, there is still a sign up there stating that troops are to break step.

Further renovation works back in 2010 resulted in closure for a few months and it's return to daily use was marked by a couple of rescued dogs from the nearby Battersea Dogs and Cats Home being walked across it. Their names, Prince and Albert of course!

The Albert Bridge also holds the honour of the only surviving examples of tollbooths, although it proved commercially unsuccessful and tolls were lifted after only six years.

It has also appeared in tons of films, including Absolute Beginners, Maybe Baby, A Clockwork Orange and is the location for the romantic reconciliation moment in Sliding Doors.

What a stunner she is!