Tower Bridge (photos)

Nearest Tube: Tower Hill (Circle) London Bridge (Northern, Jubilee,)

Where does the Tower Bridge stand (over which river)?

Tower Bridge has stood over the River Thames in London since 1894 and is one of the finest, most recognisable bridges in the World. It is the London bridge you tend to see in movies and on advertising literature for London.

Why is the Tower Bridge special?

Tower Bridge is the only Thames bridge which can be raised.

The middle section can be raised to permit large vessels to pass the Tower Bridge. Massive engines raise the bridge sections, which weigh about 1000 tons each, in just over a minute. It used to be raised about 50 times a day, but nowadays it is only raised 4 to 5 times a week

Fascinating Facts about the Tower of London

• Tower Bridge is the most recognisable bridge on the River Thames and is often mistakenly referred to as “London Bridge”.
• The total cost of construction of Tower Bridge was £1,184,000 (£100 million as of 2011).
• The bridge was officially opened on 30 June 1894 by The Prince of Wales (the future King Edward Vll) and his wife, The Princess of Wales.
• It takes 61 seconds to open Tower Bridge, which opens about 1,000 times a year.
• Tower Bridge is the only bridge over the Thames that can be raised as it is a combined bascule (drawbridge) and suspension bridge. This means that the middle section of the bridge can be raised to allow river traffic to pass through.
• The bridge was originally painted a chocolate brown colour. Then in 1977, it was painted red, white and blue for the Queen’s Silver Jubilee.
• There have been several incidents on the bridge over the years. In December 1952, the bridge opened while a number 78 doubledecker bus was on it!

Tower Bridge is close to The Tower of London

Nearest Tube: Tower Hill (Circle) London Bridge (Northern, Jubilee,)

The Tower of London was built more than 900 years ago. Vistors come to see the Crown Jewels and the Tower guards called 'Beefeaters'. Read about the Tower of London

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