Enjoy Your Stay in the World's Finest City

 TOWER BRIDGE 

 

Under Construction

Designed and constructed in the 1880s, the bridge opened for public use in 1892 to handle the population explosion in London’s East End. Spanning the Thames in this region posed a huge challenge for city planners as its downstream location threatened to disrupt the river traffic of London’s busy port. It took over 50 designs and eight years to find a satisfactory design. Though it appears to be constructed of stone, the bridge's framework is constructed of more than 11,000 tons of steel. The granite and stone was added to the bridge’s exterior to prevent the modern structure from clashing with the nearby Tower of London and other historic architecture.

  

Steamy Situation

During its original construction, Tower Bridge was considered the most impressive and advanced of bascule bridges. At the time, the hydraulics used to open the bridge were powered by steam yet still able to complete the feat within one minute. In 1976, the steam-powered pumping engines were replaced by ones powered by electricity and oil.

 Open Sesame

Tower Bridge is the only bridge on the Thames that can be raised and lowered to allow ships to pass. Supposedly, witnessing the Tower Bridge opening brings good luck because it's such a rare occurrence. Visitors can ensure their luck by checking the Bridge Lift Times on the official Tower Bridge website.

Un-walked Walkways

The high-level, open-air walkways spanning between the tops of the two towers were originally designed so that pedestrians could still cross the bridge even when it was raised. However, most preferred to wait for the bridge to close rather than trudge up the stairs. As a result, these passages were closed in 1910, just eighteen years after their construction.
In 1982, the walkways were fully enclosed and again opened to the public as a museum that houses the Tower Bridge Exhibition.

Not Falling Down

For many, the famous nursery rhyme “London Bridge is Falling Down” conjures up images of the Tower Bridge. These individuals assume the rhyme refers to the raising and lowering of the bridge, but they are mistaken. The real London Bridge was located approximately a mile to the west of where Tower Bridge was constructed.
Throughout the centuries, a number of bridges have been constructed on the site of the actual London Bridge, some of which did fall into disrepair before being replaced. One of these bridges was sold to an American entrepreneur by the name of Robert P. McCulloch in 1968. McCulloch reconstructed the bridge as a tourist attraction in the desert city of Lake Havasu, Arizona.

Bridge Parties

 

Most bridges in the world are not ideal locations for throwing parties, but guests at a Tower Bridge event do not have to worry about dodging traffic. Within the bridge’s towers and the walkways above are several event spaces with spectacular views that make Tower Bridge one of London’s most popular venues.

 

SOME INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT TOWER BRIDGE

Tower Bridge has a fascinating history, which is explored in full in The Tower Bridge Exhibition. Here are a few interesting facts you may not have known:

• 1910 - the high-level walkways, which were designed so that the public could still cross the bridge when it was raised, were closed down due to lack of use.

• 1912 - during an emergency, Frank McClean had to fly between the bascules and the high-level walkways in his Short biplane, to avoid an accident.

• 1952 - a London bus driven by Albert Gunton had to leap from one bascule to the other when the bridge began to rise with the number 78 bus still on it.

• 1977 - Tower Bridge was painted red, white and blue to celebrate the Queen's Silver Jubilee. (Before that, it was painted a chocolate brown colour).

• 1982 - Tower Bridge opened to the public for the first time since 1910, with a permanent exhibition inside called The Tower Bridge Experience.