With its two neo-Gothic towers and high walkways, Tower Bridge has become London's symbol around the world, so much so that many visitors confuse it with London Bridge, the far plainer bridge a little upstream. Yet when it opened in 1894 not everyone liked it: several critics found it pretentious and over-decorated.
A Victorian bascule bridge
By the late 19th century the East End had grown enormously and a new Thames crossing was needed downstream of London Bridge. The problem was that the Port of London, then the busiest in the world, lay right there, and ships had to be able to pass. The solution, chosen through a competition, was a bascule bridge designed by the City architect Horace Jones and the engineer John Wolfe Barry. Work lasted from 1886 to 1894 and employed hundreds of men: the structure is steel, clad in Cornish granite and Portland stone to harmonise with the nearby Tower of London.
The bridge is about 244 metres long and its towers rise 65 metres. The two central leaves, each weighing about a thousand tonnes, lift to 86 degrees to let tall ships through. Originally the mechanism was powered by steam engines pumping water into large hydraulic accumulators; since 1976 it has run on oil and electricity, but the Victorian machinery can still be seen.
Bridge lifts
When the port was in the city the bridge opened dozens of times a day. Today cargo ships no longer come this far upriver, but the bridge still lifts about eight hundred times a year for sailing ships, cruise ships and historic vessels. Lift times are published in advance on the official website: seeing it rise is worth a stop.
The visit
The Tower Bridge Exhibition takes you up to the high walkways, 42 metres above the river, built so pedestrians could cross even when the bridge was open and closed for decades because they attracted pickpockets. Since 2014 they have had a glass floor through which you can see the traffic and the Thames beneath your feet. The visit continues in the Victorian engine rooms on the south bank. Tickets cost around £15 and the visit takes about an hour and a half.
Curiosities
- In 1952 a double-decker bus found itself on the bridge as it began to open: the driver accelerated and jumped the gap, landing on the other leaf.
- In 1912 a pilot flew a small plane between the two roadways, under the walkways.
- For the 2012 Olympics the five Olympic rings were hung from the walkways.
Getting there
The nearest stations are Tower Hill on the north bank and London Bridge on the south bank. The bridge can be crossed on foot free of charge in a few minutes and links two of the city's finest walks: west along the South Bank, east to the restored wharves of St Katharine Docks and Butler's Wharf. See also what to see in London and the London guide.