The Tower Bridge by tini58de
Tower Bridge is one of the world?s most famous bridges. 150,000 vehicles cross it every day. Over 900 times a year the roadway parts and lifts to let tall ships, cruise liners and other large craft pass through.Tower Bridge was completed in 1894, after 8 years of construction.
Tower Bridge has a fascinating history, which is explored in full in The Tower Bridge Experience. Here are a few interesting facts you may not have known:
1910 - the high-level walkways, which were designed so that the public could still cross the bridge when it was raised, were closed down due to lack of use. Most people preferred to wait at the bottom and watch the bascules rise up!
1912 - during an emergency, Frank McClean had to fly between the bascules and the high-level walkways in his Short biplane, to avoid an accident.
1952 - a London bus had to leap from one bascule to the other when the bridge began to rise with the bus still on it.
1977 - Tower Bridge was painted red, white and blue to celebrate the Queen's Silver Jubilee. (Before that, it was painted a chocolate brown colour).
1982 - Tower Bridge opened to the public for the first time since 1910, with a permanent exhibition inside called The Tower Bridge Experience.
For more information have a look at the Tower Bridge official website.
