The construction of the bridge was approved by the parliamentary law in 1824, the next year the bridge began to be built. It was the first suspension bridge across the Thames, it was designed by William Tierney Clark. Construction of the bridge cost about £ 80,000, the passage through the bridge was paid.
By the 1870s, Hammersmith's bridge was no longer able to cope with the burden of heavy transport, its owners were concerned when in 1170, 11-12 thousand people crowded on the bridge in order to look at the boat regatta that under the bridge passed the mark just below half the race distance the length of 4¼ miles. In 1884, a temporary bridge was erected to support traffic during the construction of a permanent bridge.
The modern suspension bridge was designed by the engineer Sir Joseph Bezalett and rests on the same foundation as Clark's old design. The new bridge was built by Dixon, Appleby and Thorn. The bridge was opened by the Crown Prince Edward on June 11, 1887.