This post is about the Millennium Bridge in London, also known as the Wobbly Bridge or the Harry Potter Bridge.
Known colloquially as the “wobbly bridge” the Millennium Bridge began its’ life in 1996 as the winning design of a competition held by the Southwark Council and the Royal Institute of British Architects.
What gave the bridge its better-known moniker is the fact that the bridge turned out to be structurally unsound, and so wobbly that pedestrians were literally falling over as they tried to cross it!
But today the bridge is more famously known as the site of a horrific Death Eater attack!
Potter fans will know that in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, it is Brockdale Bridge (Not the Millennium Bridge) that is targeted by Death Eaters who are quickly escalating their attacks in the muggle world.
But for the Half-Blood Prince film, it was decided to use the iconic Millennium Bridge instead.
After Lord Voldemort tells the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, to step down and Fudge refuses, Voldemort unleashes his wrath on the people of London - magical and muggle alike.
The opening scene of that movie shows Death Eaters flying over London, destroying everything in their path - including the Millennium Bridge.
It is stated that many muggles were injured and some even died in the attack.
This shocking display of magic in the muggle world would lead to the end of Cornelius Fudge's premiership and lead to his replacement by Rufus Scrimgeour - a huge turning point in the story of Harry Potter.
This opening scene is now one of the most iconic and remembered scenes of the Harry Potter film series, making it a "must-see" location for visiting Potter heads.
And this is why we included it on our popular Harry Potter Walking Tour and our easy-to-use Harry Potter GPS-enabled audio walking tour.
Today, hundreds of Potter lovers come and see the bridge for themselves every year - and we are happy to say the Millennium Bridge is still in one piece and safe from Death Eater attacks...for now!
Come and check it out with us on our awesome Harry Potter Tour or let us tell you about it on our GPS-enabled Harry Potter Walking Tour!
You can have your photo taken on the iconic Bridge as we stop to survey the damage the Death Eaters inflicted.
Want to Visit?
The nearest Underground Station to the Millennium Bridge is either St. Paul's Cathedral or London Bridge Stations. It's also walkable from Blackfriars and Southwark Stations.
And of course, we cross the bridge on our Harry Potter Tour - so come and join us to see the bridge for yourselves!
A Top Tip:
When crossing the Millennium Bridge - look DOWN. You will find herein some of the smallest and most overlooked street art in all of London.
There is an artist who has made it a mission to quickly paint pictures on all the pieces of chewing gum that have been left on the bridge, and walked on by the public.
The tiny pictures run the entire length of the bridge and are overlooked by the hundreds of people that cross the bridge every day. Keep an eye out for bright colours and alien figures.
You may also come across the artist himself who lies down on the bridge to paint, then hurriedly leaves before he can be accosted by the police - as what he is doing is legally considered vandalism!
