Annotation:Westminster Bridge (1)

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WESTMINSTER BRIDGE [1]. English, Country Dance Tune (whole time). D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. There are other tunes with this title, but this melody appears to be unique to Charles and Samuel Thompson’s 1757 country dance collection (London). At the time of the Thompson’s publication, Westminster Bridge [1] was relatively new, having been completed in 1750. It was designed by Swiss architect Charles Labelye and begun in 1739 (despite intense lobbying from the London watermen), financed by lotteries, grants and private investment. The original structure lasted for 100 years but was replaced in 1862. The original proprieters had to pay compensation to the watermen and a nearby ferry.

Westminster Bridge under construction, c. 1740.

Source for notated version:

Printed sources: Thompson (Compleat Collection of 200 Favourite Country Dances, vol. 1), 1757; No. 96.

Recorded sources:

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