” Tower Bridge is a combined bascule and suspension bridge in London, England over the River Thames. It is close to the Tower of London, which gives it its name. It has become an iconic symbol of London. Tower Bridge is one of several London bridges owned and maintained by the City Bridge Trust, a charitable trust overseen by the City of London Corporation.
The bridge consists of two towers which are tied together at the upper level by means of two horizontal walkways which are designed to withstand the horizontal forces exerted by the suspended sections of the bridge to the left and the right. The vertical component of the forces in the suspended sections and the vertical reactions of the two walkways are carried by the two robust towers. The bascule pivots and operating machinery are housed in the base of each tower. Its present colour dates from 1977 when it was painted red, white and blue for the Queen’s Silver Jubilee. Before this, it was painted a chocolate brown colour.
Tower Bridge is sometimes mistakenly referred to as London Bridge, which is actually the next bridge upstream. A popular urban legend is that in 1968, Robert McCulloch, the purchaser of the old London Bridge that was later shipped to Lake Havasu City, Arizona, believed mistakenly that he was buying Tower Bridge. This was denied by McCulloch himself and has been debunked by Ivan Luckin, the seller of the bridge.
In the second half of the 19th century, increased commercial development in the East End of London led to a requirement for a new river crossing downstream of London Bridge. A traditional fixed bridge could not be built because it would cut off access to the port facilities in the Pool of London, between London Bridge and the Tower of London.
A Special Bridge or Subway Committee was formed in 1876, chaired by A. J. Altman, to find a solution to the river crossing problem. It opened the design of the crossing to public competition. Over 50 designs were submitted, including one from civil engineer Sir Joseph Bazalgette. The evaluation of the designs was surrounded by controversy, and it was not until 1884 that a design submitted by Horace Jones, the City Architect (who was also one of the judges), was approved. ”
Opening Hours
Open Daily
1st April – 30th September: 10:00 – 18:30 (last admission 17:30)
1st October – 31st March: 09:30 – 18:00 (last admission 17:00)
Please call +44 (0) 207 403 3761 for details.
Closed 24th, 25th and 26th December.
How to get to the Tower Bridge Exhibition
By bus use numbers 15, 25, 40, 42, 47, 78,100, D1, P11, RV1.
By train use London Bridge, Fenchurch Street or Tower Gateway DLR stations.
By tube use Tower Hill on the District and Circle lines or London Bridge on the Northern and Jubilee lines.
By car the nearest car park is Tower Hill Coach and Car Park, 50 Lower Thames Street, London, EC3R 6DP which is situated next to the Tower of London. We have an information sheet on local parking for cars and coaches. You can download this PDF from the Contact Us page.
“Thanks to it’s height of breaking through the 1000 foot barrier this skyscraper raised eyebrows from the moment it was first revealed. Design revisions and input from CABE were invaluable in seeing it through the planning process at Southwark where it was approved last April by the planning board.
English Heritage and other conservation bodies though are opposed to its construction. Some cite the historic feel of Southwark which they say will be destroyed by such a building (although they neglect to mention the current dingy skyscrapers blighting the landscape) whilst E.H themselves oppose London Bridge Tower on the grounds that it is visible from inside a disused courtyard in the Tower of London and will “pierce the heart of London like glass spike”. Tower 42 is also visible from inside the Tower of London but again this is not an issue to E.H.
Listening to their complaints the Secretary of State for the Environment has called in the project to a public inquiry which means the planning decision taken by Southwark in approving LBT will be scrutinised in a courtroom-like atmosphere with both sides making depositions.”
