We decided to use Waterloo Bridge as one of our locations, because we decided that we were going to have this giant worm/serpent thing coming out of the Thames - and Waterloo seemed to be the perfect place to a have a battle with a giant worm!
The bridge itself was built between 1811 and 1817, by an architect who created a lot of the celebrated docks in England. The Prince Regent ordered the bridge's construction because he wanted to commemorate the second anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo.
It was originally going to be called the Strand Bridge, until around 1816.
They say that the bridge cost over a million pounds to build. It has nine elliptical arches that each span about 120 feet. It was 35 feet high when it was originally built, and is supported on piers 20 feet wide.
It was considered dangerous after 1923 because two of the piers shifted on the riverbed. A temporary crossing was constructed until they rebuilt the bridge in 1942, although it wasn't officially opened until 1945.
Fun fact about the bridge: there were explosive chambers built into it, in case the bridge had to be blown up during World War II - so be careful when you cross it!
