Opening of Waterloo Bridge - 1817

Side 1: GEORGIUS W.P. VICEM REGIS BRITANNIARUM GERENS

Side 2: Above: WELLINGTON
Below: WATERLOO / DIE IUN . 18 / 1815.
On the edge: PONTE WATERLOOENSI DEDICATO . IUN. 18. 1817:

British Historical Medals 961
Mm. 27 - Silver
By T. Wyon Jr.

British Historical Medals - 961 - OPENING OF WATERLOO BRIDGE
AR. 27 by T. Wyon Jr.
Obv. Laureate head of the Prince Regent, left. GEORGIUS W.P. VICEM REGIS BRITANNIARUM GERENS (George, Prince of Wales, Regent of Great Britain).
Rev. Royal Standard. Above: WELLINGTON. Below: WATERLOO / DIE IUN . 18 / 1815.
Edge: In impressed capitals PONTE WATERLOOENSI DEDICATO . IUN. 18. 1817: (Waterloo Bridge dedicated June 18 1817).
AR CC.
F. 5215 & 16; H. 248/19-21
AM; BM; FM; ML.
The bridge was originally authorized as the Strand Bridge, in an Act of June 1809, but in a later Act of July 1816 the name was changed to Waterloo Bridge in honour of Wellington's recent victory. It was completed in 1818 at a cost of £565,000. The bridge was probably first conceived by the engineer Ralph Dodd, but the actual design was by the celebrated John Rennie and not, as is sometimes stated, by Dodd's son George who was for a time resident engineer under Rennie. At one time the bridge became notorious for the number of suicides which leapt from it into the river. Structural weaknesses having developed, the bridge was demolished in 1936, to make room for the present Waterloo Bridge.
   These medals were distributed at the opening of the bridge, 4,200 of them being struck; some specimens do not bear the edge inscription. See Hocking, Catalogue of the coins, tokens, medals, etc. in the Royal Mint . London, 1910, p. 248.

 

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