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| Tower Bridge tips and photos posted by real travelers and London locals.
Tower Bridge Road, EC3/SE1
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The views from Tower Bridge are stunning and for a ticket price for adults of just £5.50 this is a definite "Must Do" for any visitor to London! The ticket price includes a visit to the Engine Room and there are lifts to the East and West Walks with interactive displays and videos. The history of the bridge is fascinating and includes lots of interesting little details. The staff are friendly and helpful and will even escort you to the correct lift if they have mis-directed you! (There are different lifts for going up and down - sometimes the staff get it wrong :))
The bridge was built between 1886 and 1884 and is a modern steel structure clad in stone to complement the Tower of London.
To find out what times the bridge is being raised, phone: 020 7940 3985
Opening times:
9.30-1700
StopPress!!....For all the information and stats you could ever need about all the Thames Bridges, this is a brilliant website!Thames Bridges
And for an excellent, historic and informative, 3 mile circular walk of the area... check out the london-footprints website! Leave a Comment
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Tower Bridge, completed in 1894, is a London landmark. It spans the Thames River just beside the Tower of London.
It is a spectacular sight when you first catch a glimpse and really adds to the beauty of this part of town.
The bridge opens through out the day to allow tall vessels to pass along the river.
You can climb to the high-level walkways for great views of London and the Thames.
Also, functions can be held on these walkways and I really hope to get to attend one some day! Leave a Comment Phone: 0 20 7626 3065Directions: Nearest Tube: Tower Hill or London Bridge tubesWebsite: www.towerbridge.org.uk
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The Tower Bridge was built to deal with increased traffic in the east end of London during the late 1800s, with the bridge construction lasting from 1886 to 1893. Unlike the other city bridges further upsteam on the River Thames, this bridge had to be designed to allow shipping traffic to pass to the busy Port of London area upstream of the proposed location.
The overall length of the bridge is 800-ft and two distinctive 65-m (213-ft) towers support a 200-ft span between them which can open in the middle and each be tilted upward within a few minutes to let ship traffic pass. The towers also house the equipment needed to raise the ship span and they provide support for the suspension spans which make up the remainder of the bridge. One of the most beautiful bridges in the world with its Victorian Gothic style, the towers have steel skeletons and are covered with granite from Cornwall and limestone trim from Dorset.
Another unique feature of the bridge is an elevated walkway (143-ft above the Thames) which allows unimpeded pedestrian traffic, even when the lower part of the bridge is raised for shipping. However, this upper level soon became an unsavoury hangout for pick-pockets and prostitutes as well as a site of frequent suicides, resulting in it's closure in 1910. It was still closed when I visited in 1979 but soon afterward, the walkway was glassed-in and it was re-opened to pedestrians in 1982. The second photo shows the view toward the Tower of London from the lower level of the bridge. Leave a Comment
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Although I, personally did not go on the Tower Bridge Exhibition tour, after doing my homework, I have discovered that it is definitely on my "must see" list for the next visit. Tower Bridge took 8 years to complete, with 432 construction workers, and 11,000 tons of steel for the framework alone. It was opened in 1894. The bascules were powered by steam, but since 1976, oil and electricity replaced the ancient steam concept, for more efficiency. Also, there are unique windows that allow spectacular photographs without being obscured by glass, according to the web-site.
Interesting facts you may not be aware of:
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 color) (colour).
2003 - Tower Bridge Exhibition came of age celebrating its 21st Birthday!
For more interesting facts:
Tower Bridge Facts
http://www.towerbridge.org.uk/TowerBridge/English/BridgeHistory
Adults ~ £5.50
Children (aged five to fifteen) ~ £3.00
Students (with identification) ~ £4.25
Seniors (aged sixty or above) ~ £4.25
1 Adult & 2 Children ~ £10.00
2 Adults & 1 Child ~ £12.00
2 Adults & 2 Children ~ £14.00
Under fives ~ Free
Disabled/Carer ~ Free
NOTE: Prices valid until 31st March 2005.
You may view and download for free, several views of Tower Bridge at:
FREE Tower Bridge downloads
http://www.towerbridge.org.uk/TowerBridge/English/Placestovisit/content/photogallery.htmr />
Please click on the photo, courtesy of VT member A5floor. Thanks Janka! :-)
Janka's Homepage Leave a Comment
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One of the most instantly spotted landmarks of London, the Tower Bridge, offers a tour called "Tower Bridge Experience".
It's a real treat to take this tour. I discovered that the people of London presented petitions to have a new bridge built as a crossing below London Bridge. It was a successful petition, and Tower Bridge was completed in 1894. It's a bascule bridge; in other words, it opens to allow big ships to pass below.
On the tour, we saw a few films about its history and construction. Then we visited the upper walkways. There are two walkways. They were originally built for pedestrians to cross the bridge when the bascules were in a raised position. These walkways were closed in 1909 because of the manysuicides that happened from there; fortunately, these walkways are now enclosed in glass, and they can once again be used by the public.
Wow! The views from the walkways are excellent! In the downstream walkway, they have an exhibit of old photos of Tower Bridge over the last 100+ years. Don't miss a visit of the engine room of this working bridge. The old boilers (coal-fired) have been saved for this exhibit. They now raise the bascules via electricity.
It was quite an enjoyable learning experience.
The Tower Bridge spans the Thames River next to the Tower of London. Tickets are purchased at the north tower; then one takes the left to the walkway. Leave a Comment
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One of the most beautiful and recognizable bridges in the world is London's TOWER BRIDGE. Completed in 1894, it took 8 years and 11,000 tons of steel to build.
Spanning the Thames River, the overall length of the Bridge is 800 feet and two distinctive towers support a 200 foot span between them which can open and be raised upward in the middle to allow ships to pass. Leave a Comment
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Tower Bridge was completed in 1894, after 8 years of construction.
Many people don't realise why it was even built in the first place, or why it is so different from London's other bridges.
Originally, London Bridge was the only crossing over the Thames. As London developed and grew, so did her infrastructure.. roads, buildings and bridges, and the Tower Bridge was one of the things built.
Driven by oil and electricity since 1976, the huge bascules are nowadays still operated by using hydraulic power.
On the Tower tour you can view the engine room etc. It is a nice tour, not too long, and inexpensive.
When you see it you will be amazed.
It's majestic, with its thick bolts and sturdiness. If you are in luck you will see it open up and allow a larger (taller) boat through.... but I have never been fortunate enough to see this. Yet ;) Leave a Comment
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This is one of the iconic structures of London – so much so that an urban myth has it that the rich American who bought London Bridge to erect in the Arizona desert actually thought he was getting this one and was disappointed when he realised what he had purchased! I’m not sure if that’s true, but if you think about bridges over the Thames this one will inevitably come to mind.
Tower Bridge was completed in 1894, and was considered one of the great engineering marvels of its age. It was the first to be built east of London Bridge, and its design was a response to the problem of constructing a bridge over a stretch of the river where shipping was so busy. The road crosses the river on two “bascules” – sections which can be raised to allow for ships to pass through. High above these a walkway was intended to allow pedestrians to cross even when the bascules were raised, but was closed as it was found that most people preferred simply to wait. Nowadays this walkway houses an exhibition about the history of the bridge and offers great views of the river (or so I’ve heard – I’ve yet to visit myself).
Although river traffic is not as busy as it once was, the bridge is still lifted approximately 1000 times a year to allow tall ships, cruise ships, naval vessels and other large craft to pass through. If you want to time your visit to coincide with a lift, check out the schedule on the website.
You can see the bridge at any time of course, but if you want to visit the exhibition and check out the views, opening hours are 10.00 – 18.30 (last admission 17.30) 1st April - 30th September and 09.30 – 18.00 (last admission 17:00) 1st October - 31st March. Admission costs £6 for adults, £3 for children (5-15) and £4.50 for concessions. There are various deals for family groups of different sizes, so make sure you ask about these. Phone: 020 7403 3761Directions: Nearest tube is Tower Hill (District & Circle lines) or London Bridge (Northern & Jubilee lines – follow signs to Tooley St and the river). The Ticket Office is on the north side of the Bridge.Website: http://www.towerbridge.org.uk/
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I like the old story surrounding Tower Bridge & London Bridge - it goes something like this - The USA wanted to buy Tower Bridge but mistakenly asked for London Bridge and their offer was accepted = so glad they got it wrong!!
Tower Bridge was constructed in 1894 & used to be a brown colour until The Queen's Silver Jubilee in 1977 when it was painted Red White & Blue. Leave a Comment
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This was a thoroughly enjoyable tour.
Not only was it not horrendously expensive, it was enjoyable, you werent rushed, it was informative and not too long-winded.
Of course it had the obligatory Tower Shop at the end of it, as these places always do, but it was a good tour.
Inside, we looked through the telescopes mounted on the wall, out over the Thames. It was really lovely, the feeling of standing over the Thames... all that water under you! :)
They have a short film explaining the hydraulic system and some history about the Tower, and then you go down into the original engine rooms.
They hire both sides of the bridge area out for parties and special events... what a stunning venue to hold an occasion to remember - above the Thames!
I hate to think of the cost involved, but if money was no object, then this must be one of the most sought-after venues in London :)
A good tour.! They even laid out the red carpet for us ;) Leave a Comment
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