Straw hanging from London's Millennium Bridge
In accordance with ancient laws, a bundle of straw is dangled from Millennium Bridge, London.
The law states that a bale of straw must be hung underneath to warn river traffic.
The straw was lowered under Millennium Bridge two months ago when it was cleaned, and they replaced of a layer of membrane on the structure.
The suspension of the straw by day and a "white light" at night is mentioned in the Port Of London Thames Byelaws, clause 36.2.
It states: "When the headroom of an arch or span of a bridge is reduced from its usual limits, but that arch or span is not closed to navigation, the person in control of the bridge must suspend from the centre of that arch or span by day a bundle of straw large enough to be conspicuous and by night a white light."
City Bridge Foundation is a registered charity that's in charge of looking after the Thames crossings in London.
Speaking to City AM, the charity said: "This is one of those quirky traditions London is famous for.
”But it also does serve a practical purpose, to warn shipping when the headroom under a bridge span is reduced.
"The bundle of straw is lowered by our contractor when they're doing work under the bridge, in this case to install netting ahead of work to replace the separation layer between the aluminium bridge deck and the steel structure underneath.”
In a post on X, City Bridge Foundation said: "In accordance with ancient tradition a bundle of straw is dangled from Millennium Bridge to warn shipping of work under the bridge (we're not making this up, honest).”
Reacting to the photos on social media, someone said: “How brilliant! Would that happen at Tower Bridge in theory too, may I ask?
”I have a scene based there in a novel I'm writing and it might actually help with the plot!”
In reply to this comment, the charity said: “Absolutely. The Thames Byelaws apply equally to all Thames bridges!”
Millennium Bridge, pictured below, was London’s first new pedestrian bridge for over a century.
The iconic bridge was dedicated by Queen Elizabeth II and originally opened in 2000.
The sheer volume of pedestrian traffic on the bridge on opening days (90,000 people) caused an unexpected swaying motion, causing it to be nicknamed ‘The Wobbly Bridge’.
This problem was fixed by the retrofitting of 37 fluid-viscous (energy dissipating) dampers to control horizontal movement and 52 tuned mass (inertial) dampers to control vertical movement.
The bridge was reopened in 2002 and has not been subject to significant vibration since.
It was famously featured in the opening scenes of the film version of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, where the bridge collapses following an attack by Death Eaters.
The bridge also appears in the 2014 Marvel Cinematic Universe film Guardians of the Galaxy during the climactic battle on Xandar.
It’s a popular attraction when people visit London, a top review on TripAdvisor says: “The bridge itself is so unique, sleek and modern that it is no wonder that it is such a great tourist attraction.
”However it also offers great views of the city, in particular St. Paul's church. If you like taking pictures, be sure to take this bridge.
”I will say I hated that I did not get to visit when the sun was shining, but that is London sometimes.”
Another person added: “Quickest way to get from St Pauls to London Bridge by foot! It's a pedestrian bridge and you often find cyclists driving over it.
”A great place to cross in day time or night time. The views on either direction are spectacular. Take note on the floor of the bridge where an artist has been painting over tucked in dirt.”
The bridge is located between Southwark Bridge and Blackfriars Railway Bridge.
About City Bridge Foundation
The charity, City Bridge Foundation, was set up around 900 years ago for the maintenance of the old London Bridge.
Through bridge tolls, rents, bequests and charitable donations, along with sensible investment and management, the fund has grown over the years.
Their primary aim remains to maintain their five bridges – Tower, London, Southwark, Millennium and Blackfriars bridges.
But since 1995, they have also used surplus funds to award grants to charitable organisations across Greater London.
They currently award over £30 million to charities across the capital and have made a further £200 million available in the five years to 2026 to support London’s charity sector.
According to their website, they aim to be catalytic, sustainable and impact driven in they do.
From 1995 to September 2023 the charity funding team was known as City Bridge Trust.
In September 2023, their bridges and charity funding teams were brought together under a new name – City Bridge Foundation.
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