page_title: Bow Bridge (London)
hierarchical_section_title: Bow Bridge (London)
context_page_description: Bow Bridge was a stone bridge built over the River Lea, in what is now London, in the twelfth century. It linked Bow in Middlesex with Stratford in Essex.
  In 1110 Matilda, wife of Henry I, ordered a distinctively bow-shaped bridge to be built over the River Lea, together with a causeway across the marshes along the line now occupied by Stratford High Street. Historical reports state she encountered problems crossing the river to get to Barking Abbey.
  The river was previously forded further north at Old Ford; the new crossing led the highway to Essex and East Anglia to take a more southerly route - now the Whitechapel, Mile End and Bow Roads.
  Prior to the construction of the bridge, settlements on both sides of the river were known as Stratford. Afterwards, the western Stratford then become suffixed by “-atte-Bow”, eventually becoming known simply as Bow, while over time the eastern Stratford lost its “Langthorne” suffix.
context_section_description: Bow Bridge was a stone bridge built over the River Lea, in what is now London, in the twelfth century. It linked Bow in Middlesex with Stratford in Essex.
  In 1110 Matilda, wife of Henry I, ordered a distinctively bow-shaped (arched) bridge to be built over the River Lea, together with a causeway across the marshes along the line now occupied by Stratford High Street. Historical reports state she (or her retinue) encountered problems crossing the river to get to Barking Abbey.
  The river was previously forded further north at Old Ford; the new crossing led the highway to Essex and East Anglia to take a more southerly route - now the Whitechapel, Mile End and Bow Roads.
  Prior to the construction of the bridge, settlements on both sides of the river were known as Stratford. Afterwards, the western Stratford then become suffixed by “-atte-Bow” (at the Bow), eventually becoming known simply as Bow, while over time the eastern Stratford lost its “Langthorne” suffix.
caption: Bow Bridge depicted in the 19th Century
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