Customs Declaration Made London Bridge the World's Largest Antique Ever Sold

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The first shipment of granite in its cargo containers at the Surrey docks in England. All 10,276 pieces of stone were methodically numbered so that the bridge could be reassembled like a giant jigsaw puzzle. Courtesy of Lake Havasu Museum of History.

The McCulloch family, a "London Beefeater," and C.V. Wood watch as a granite block is unloaded in Arizona. Courtesy of Lake Havasu Museum of History.

In Arizona, the granite was stored in a fenced-off area until needed during reconstruction. Courtesy of Lake Havasu Museum of History.

U.S. Customs Service news release from July 8, 1968 discussing that London Bridge was declared an antique. CBP Historical Collections.

London Bridge across the Thames River in England on its first opening day, August 1, 1831. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

Shipments of bridge blocks from London to the port at Long Beach were made via Scandinavian freighters, including the Fossum out of Norway and container ships of Sweden's Johnson Line. Image from The Reading Eagle, July 5, 1968.

Traffic across London Bridge, c.1910-1915. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

Two views of the rebuilt London Bridge at Lake Havasu City in Arizona. The bridge was not reassembled exactly as it was before. The façades were sliced from the stone blocks and adhered to a cement structural support-so it looked like the old bridge, but was sturdier and somewhat smaller. Images from Record Group 412, National Archives and Records Administration.

Last Modified: Sep 13, 2016

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Customs Declaration Made London Bridge the World's Largest Antique Ever Sold

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