Shortly after opening, questions were raised about the structures safety. In 1861, an additional chain support was added to each side of the bridge; however the bridge still appeared unstable so a five ton weight limit was mandated. The first bridge gained such a reputation for being unsound that the government felt obligated to rename it to Chelsea Bridge, after the embankment on the southern side of the River Thames, so that it would not become associated with the Royal Family.
Two factors led to a new bridge at the location. The first was the rise of the automobile which the old bridge was simply unable to accommodate. Secondly, the Battersea Park suffered severe decline during the Great Depression and as a consequence there was a huge push to revitalize the area. In order for the revitalization to take place a new bridge was needed. So work on the new bridge began in 1934. The dream team made up of architect Topham Forrest and architect E.P. Wheeler along with the well known London construction group Holloway Brothers were responsible for the new Chelsea Bridge making its debut in 1937.
The bridge quickly gained acclaim as being the first self-anchored suspension bridge in European. The structure was also solely made from materials gathered within the British Empire. The 64 foot wide bridge has 40 feet of roadway with two 12-foot wide footpaths that cantilever out from its sides. The cutting edge design with self anchors negates the need for abutments into the soft unstable London Clay deposited in the former glacial ford. The result was that the new bridge was much stronger. During the 1950s, the Chelsea Bridge was a popular spot for motorcyclist to hold hair raising races. Today, the bridge is a popular sight for visitors at night due to the myriad of colors from 937 LED lights.
