A Brief History of Tower Bridge in London

By the 19th century, as the East End of London began to develop, there rose a need for a new river crossing. In 1876, the Special Bridge or Subway Committee was founded to develop ideas, and a public contest to choose a design for the new bridge was held. Over 50 ideas were offered for evaluation to the Committee, with some on display at Tower Bridge. However, it was not until October 1884 that Sir Horace Jones, the City Architect, suggested the chosen design for Tower Bridge as a resolution, in partnership with John Wolfe Barry, who was appointed as the engineer.

The construction of Tower Bridge began in 1886. It took eight years, five main contractors, and the tireless labor of 432 construction workers each day to build Tower Bridge. To support the building, two large piers were built on foundations deep into the riverbed, and the Towers and Walkways were built with nearly 11,000 tons of steel. To safeguard the underlying steelwork, this structure was covered in Cornish Granite and Portland Stone. When Jones died in 1887, George D. Stevenson took over and replaced the original brick facade with the iconic Victorian Gothic style. It cost £1,184,000 to finish building the tower.

The Prince and Princess of Wales officially opened Tower Bridge on 30 June 1894. Lord Chamberlain, Lord Carrington, and H. H. Asquith, the Home Secretary, were present for the opening ceremony. On the same day, the bridge lifted, after a two-minute delay, for the first time. A tug boat was required by an Act of Parliament to be on duty to help vessels in distress when crossing the bridge, an obligation that lasted until the 1960s. The Tower Subway was the quickest method to cross the Thames from Tower Hill to Tooley Street in Southwark until the bridge was built. Because there was no toll to cross Tower Bridge once it opened, the majority of foot traffic shifted to using it.

By the time the Second World War rolled around, Tower Bridge had become a major connecting point to the Port of London. This also meant that it became a target for enemy countries. Between 1940 and 1942, the Tower Bridge saw a few attacks that damaged parts of the bridge. In 1942, a third engine was installed in case the existing ones were damaged. However, when the bridge was modernized, this third engine became redundant and was donated to the Forncett Industrial Steam Museum. On 6 December 1949, the southern section was Grade I listed and the northern part of the bridge was listed on 27 September 1973. In 1982, the Tower Bridge Exhibition opened.

Tower Bridge was the world's largest and most advanced bascule bridge at the time of its construction. Hydraulics were used to run these bascules, with steam powering the massive pumping engines. The energy generated was stored in six large accumulators, ensuring that power was always available when it was needed to lift the Bridge. The accumulators supplied power to the driving engines, which raised and lowered the bascules. The bascules are still powered by hydraulics today, but they have been powered by oil and electricity instead of steam since 1976. The original pumping engines, accumulators, and boilers can now be seen in the Engine Rooms of Tower Bridge.

Look down the glass floor to find the famed red London buses and pedestrians speeding across the Bridge as river barges pass beneath it.

Visitors can go up to the walkways connecting the two towers and spot iconic attractions such as the Tower of London, City Hall, the Shard, and HMS Belfast.