Tower Bridge

 Interior Visit   Phone: 0171 403 3761  Tower Bridge Website

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.

Other Museums that may be of interest are: Design Museum in Southwark, HMS Belfast in Southwark, Winston Churchills Britain At War Museum in London, Bramah Tea And Coffee Museum in Southwark, Bank Of England Museum in London, Imperial War Museum in London.

Attractions near Tower Bridge include Tower Of London in City of London, Hays Galleria in London, St Paul's Cathedral in City of London, Surrey Quays Shopping Centre in Rotherhithe, National Theatre in South Bank, London Eye in London, Fortune Theatre in Covent Garden, The Vaudeville Theatre in City of Westminster, Covent Garden Market in London, Aylesham Centre in London.