The London Bridge in Lake Havasu City is not a replica — it is the original 1831 granite bridge that once spanned the Thames in central London. When London replaced it in the 1960s, the city auctioned off the stones and Robert McCulloch bought them for $2.46 million. Each of the 10,246 granite blocks was numbered, dismantled, shipped to the United States, and reassembled in the Arizona desert. The project took three years and cost nearly four times the purchase price.
The bridge now spans a mile-long channel that was dug beneath it after the bridge was built — so technically the water was installed to go under the bridge rather than the bridge built over the water. On the island side is the English Village, a collection of shops, restaurants, and pubs built in a vaguely Tudor style that makes no pretence of authenticity but is cheerful enough. Walking across takes about five minutes; the views up the channel toward the desert hills are genuinely attractive.
It is worth visiting at dusk when the bridge is lit up and the channel is calm. The walkway below the bridge along the waterfront is pleasant at any hour, with views back to the Arizona mountains. Entrance is free.