Chelsea, about 3 miles (4.8 km) west of Westminster on the north bank of the River Thames, has existed as a settlement since at least Anglo-Saxon times.

[5][n 1] Chelsea enjoyed good road and river connections to the seat of government at Westminster and the commercial centre of the City of London since at least the 14th century.

[4] It was a centre of the British porcelain industry,[6] and a major producer of baked goods – at peak periods almost 250,000 Chelsea buns per day were sold.

[4] Battersea, listed as Patricesy (St Peter's Water) in the Domesday Book and first mentioned in records of 693 AD,[8][9] on the south bank of the river opposite Chelsea, was by contrast low and marshy land, prone to flooding.

[6] The bridge was to be built between Cheyne Walk and Battersea, at the point where the river's course turns sharply east towards Westminster,[13] at a projected cost of £83,000 (about £15,362,000 in 2025).

[14][16] Spencer calculated that the money raised would be sufficient to finance a modest timber bridge, and a design was commissioned from rising architect Henry Holland.

[13] Holland's design consisted of nineteen separate narrow spans, the widest being only 32 feet (9.8 m) wide,[18] and boats found it difficult to navigate beneath the bridge; there were a number of accidents including serious injuries and deaths.

[13] Repeatedly rammed by passing shipping, the bridge required frequent costly repairs, and dividends paid to investors were low.

[13] During a particularly cold winter in 1795 the bridge was badly damaged by ice, necessitating lengthy and expensive reconstruction, and no dividends at all were paid for the next three years.

[20] The Battersea Bridge Company were concerned about the potential loss of custom, and petitioned Parliament against the scheme, stating that "[Dodd] is a well known adventurer and Speculist, and the projector of numerous undertakings upon a large scale most if not all of which have failed",[n 4] and the bill was abandoned.

[28] In 1905, Nocturne: Blue and Gold became the first significant acquisition by the newly formed National Art Collections Fund, and is now in Tate Britain.

[14][37] Inspections by the Chief Engineer of the Metropolitan Board of Works, Sir Joseph Bazalgette, following the purchase found that Battersea Bridge was in such poor condition that it was unable to be repaired safely.

[12] The contract to build the new bridge was awarded to John Mowlem & Co,[12] and in June 1887 the Duke of Clarence laid a ceremonial foundation stone in the southern abutment and construction work began.

[17] Bazalgette's design incorporated five arches with cast iron griders, on granite piers which in turn rest on concrete foundations.

[14][18] On 21 July 1890, the bridge was officially opened by future Prime Minister Lord Rosebery, then chairman of the newly formed London County Council.

In 1948, the MV Delta jammed under the bridge, and its master Hendrikus Oostring suffered broken arms and needed to be rescued from the smashed wheelhouse.

[39] On 23 March 1950, the collier John Hopkinson collided with the central pier, causing serious structural damage, leaving the tram tracks as the only element holding the bridge together.

[18][41] Another serious incident took place on 21 September 2005, when the James Prior, a 200-ton barge, collided with the bridge, causing serious structural damage costing over £500,000 to repair.

[42][43] The bridge was closed to all motor vehicles other than buses while repairs were carried out, causing severe traffic congestion; it eventually reopened on 16 January 2006.