Encounter on Blackfriars Bridge

Reposted from http://www.london-se1.co.uk
POSTED by donna flavia on Monday 18 January 2010 11.09am


My Blackfriars Bridge Story happened in Summer 2001. I was working at The Bridewell theatre and was called for 6.30pm. I was running (late) across Blackfriars Bridge. In the Alcove on the middle bit of the Bridge I stopped as a woman about 35yrs, very black hair, dressed like a modern goth was sobbing sat on the bench. I asked her if she was OK. Then I noticed she was ringing wet, dripping and there was a puddle of water coming from her. There was a strong smell of '70s bubble bath/vosene/lavender. She then stood up on the seat and I thought she was going to jump into the Thames. She was very thin as well.

I tried to comfort her but it ,made her go hysterical, so I backed off a bit and she calmed down, eventually sitting back down. What to do? I backed off, down the natural slope. I called the police from my mobile. I waited about five mins, I tried to go back, but when I did it set her off and she got up on the seat again, so I stayed at a distance. About ten mins later, the police had not arrived, so i rang back and said I was going to The Bridewell and now v.late but I did not want to leave her. Whilst on the phone, the police came up the road, from the Ludgate Direction, I signalled as they passed me at the woman who was still there, they drove past her on the other side of the road, did a U turn and pulled up by the alcove. Knowing she was now in safe hands I ran to the theatre.

Later that night when I came off stage, two policemen (apparently the ones from the call out) were waiting to interview me. They had seen the girl as they came up the road from the car (she had stood up again on the bench I should have mentioned) but by the time they did their U Turn and parked, she had vanished. They had found the puddle of water and the perfume smell (I had not mentioned this on the phone to the police) They were both clearly very perplexed and shocked.

I supose the simple explanation was she jumped. This, as the police pointed out would have involved quite a climb onto the very thick wall there.

But I could see her up until the car pulled up, so how could she do that without at least the Police seeing it? They obvioulsy called the river police etc and no body was found, nobody saw her jump. The other thing I thought of afterwards was nobody else at this busy time of the day stopped or seemed to notice.

So I had to give a statement of what had happened to a clearly shaking police officer at the station a few days later.