Tower Bridge Information: Places to Stay & Visit near Southwark

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Tower Bridge

Phone: 0171 403 3761 | Web: Visit Tower Bridge Website

Tower Bridge, Southwark, London, England SE1 2UP

Facilities:

Interior Visit

Tower Bridge was opened in 1894 by the Prince and Princess of Wales to ease the congestion at London Bridge. Prior to this, horse drawn carriages could queue for hours, since London Bridge was the only practical means of crossing the Thames.

It had been decided some 18 years earlier, in 1876, to build a new bridge, with the design being by a public competition. The requirements were quite demanding for the time; it had to accommodate the masts (140 feet) of the river traffic, whilst providing a gentle access up which a horse could pull a carriage.

John Wolfe Barry and Sir Horace Jones designed a raising bridge in 1884. After Jones died in 1887 his assistant, George Daniel Stevenson took over the design, and most of what we see today can be attributed to him.

Tower Bridge is a remarkable feat of engineering, an important British landmark, and for many a symbol of London.

The Tower Bridge Museum is housed in the bridge where you can see the original steam pumping engines that operated the bridge and a tremendous view of the Thames from the walkway.

More Museums

Design Museum 0.1 miles Southwark, London
The Design Museum offers an insight into the role design plays in our everyday lives from the origins of mass production to the present day. The museum is divided into 2 main galleries. The Collection gallery provides a...

HMS Belfast 0.3 miles Southwark, London
When launched in 1938, HMS Belfast represented the high-water mark in British cruiser development; a 6" cruiser holding a crew of 950 men, and now preserved as a floating museum offering an insight into naval life. From...

Winston Churchills Britain At War Museum 0.3 miles London, London

Bramah Tea And Coffee Museum 0.7 miles Southwark, London
Bramah Tea and Coffee Museum lets you discover everything you ever wanted to know about the 2 beverages, from 17th century coffee houses right up to the tea bag. Why are the British the largest tea importing country in the...

Attractions near Tower Bridge

London Glass Blowing 0.3 miles Bermondsey SE1 3UD
Peter Layton's London Glassblowing is a hot glass studio focused on the creation and display of contemporary glass art. The studio has a reputation as one of Europe's leading glass making workshops with a particular flair for the use of colour,...

Tower Of London 0.4 miles City of London EC3N 4AB
The beginnings of the Tower of London date back to William the Conqueror who began constructing a castle here only 3 months after conquering the Anglo-Saxons. The castle has had numerous towers added over the centuries and fulfilled a number...

Bankside Gallery 0.7 miles London SE1

Whitechapel Art Gallery 0.9 miles London E1 7QX

Bank Of England Museum 0.9 miles City of London EC2R 8AH
Housed within one of the most iconic buildings in the City of London, the Bank of England Museum is one hidden gem that more and more people are discovering every year. The Museum offers a unique experience which brings to life the 315-year...

St Paul's Cathedral 1.2 miles City of London EC4M 8AD
Bishop Mellitus built the first cathedral on this site in 604 and a further 3 cathedrals have stood here. St Paul's Cathedral fell victim to the Great Fire of London in 1666, with work on the present building commencing 9 years later. This...

Barbican Centre For Arts & Conferences 1.4 miles London EC2Y 8DS

Imperial War Museum 1.5 miles London SE1 6HZ

Tower Bridge

Hotels near Tower Bridge