2008-04-20 A wonderful book, beautifully written.

I have to pay a debt of gratitude to Patricia Pierce's wonderful book. I loved it so much that I opted to take "The History of London Bridge " as my specialist subject in the final of BBC Mastermind, and what is more - I won, thanks mainly to the wealth of detail and information in this superb book.

Patricia's love of the old bridge is infectious. Her enthusiasm shines through every sentence. In beautifully constructed prose she brings its long and fascinating story to life. You get everything in this, the big picture, but also the charming little glimpses of everyday life on the bridge.

Every question you could ever think of about the Bridge is answered here, and then some. You will find yourself amazed at some of the details. It's a book which made me break the habit of a lifetime, and begin reading it all over again as soon as I had finished it. Truly wonderful.