Tower Bridge

Tower Bridge spans the Thames near the Tower of London. Built between 1886 and 1894, it was designed by Horace Jones and John Wolfe Barry with Henry Marc Brunel. The bridge has two 65-metre towers linked by high-level walkways and a central pair of bascules that lift for river traffic. Originally powered by hydraulics, the system was updated in 1972. It carries 40,000 crossings daily and forms part of the London Inner Ring Road. The bridge solved a 19th-century problem: how to let ships reach the Pool of London while connecting the growing East End to the rest of the city. A committee chaired by Sir Albert Joseph Altman studied designs before choosing a bascule bridge. Parliament approved the plan in 1885, setting strict rules for its height, width and appearance. Construction took eight years and involved eight major contracts, with Sir William Arrol & Co responsible for the metalwork. Visitors walk across the deck or climb the towers to see the high-level walkways. Inside the engine rooms, original hydraulic machinery remains from the 1890s. The towers offer views over the Thames and the Tower of London. The bridge’s twin Gothic towers and blue paint make it a London landmark. It is often confused with London Bridge, eight hundred metres upstream.