Westminster Bridge was designed by the Swiss architect Charles Labelye and completed in 1751. The project is notable for the first use of caissons, an invention which enables construction underwater. Westminster Bridge was the first bridge to be built nearer the city than Kingston for 600 years – it provoked the removal of the buildings on London Bridge and the construction of Blackfriars Bridge as the City tried to keep traffic in their domain.

There is a description of the construction of the bridge and its cost – £389,500! – underneath the view.