BRIEF HISTORY DURING THE SNOW ERA (1813-58)

During most of John Snow's lifetime, travelers wanting to go from Chelsea to Battersea would take a river ferry.  Then in 1851-8 the Chelsea Suspension Bridge was designed and built by Thomas Page, going from the base of Grosvenor Canal on the north side of the river to the edge of Battersea Park on the south side.  The crossing opened in 1858 (the year of John Snow's death) and charged a toll until 1879.  While working on the Chelsea Bridge, Thomas Page in 1854-62 also built the new Westminster Bridge. 

In 1858-60, the Victoria Railway Bridge (or Grosvenor Bridge) was built next to the Chelsea Bridge to serve the London, Chatham and Dover Railway (see 1862 map).     

Source: Weinreb B, Hibbert C (eds). The London Encyclopaedia, 1993.