Back

Great Britain - 1817

Opening of Waterloo Bridge

Obverse:

Laureate head of the Prince Regent, left.

Legend:

GEORGIUS W.P. VICEM REGIS BRITANNIARUM GERENS (George, Prince of Wales, Regent of Great Britain).

Exergue:

Edge: in impressed capitals PONTE WATERLOOENSI DEDICATO . IUN . 18 . 1817:

Size:

27 mm.

Reverse:

Royal Standard.

Legend:

WELLINGTON

Exergue:

WATERLOO / DIE IUN . 18 / 1815

Vern's Comments:

The edge translation reads: (Waterloo Bridge dedicated June 18 1817).

CBCM - 268.11
George, Prince Regent, Opening of Waterloo Bridge

An allocation of silver had been made for the Waterloo medal, the first campaign medal for issue to all ranks; these medals were struck from the remaining silver.

BHM:

AR. 27 by T. Wyon Jr.
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.

from British Historical Medals, Volume I, p. 232