Tower Bridge

Standing before you is one of the most photographed bridges in the world, where two massive towers rise 200 feet above the river, connected by walkways high enough for ships to pass beneath. Tower Bridge opened in 1894 after eight years of building. This is not just any bridge. It is a bascule bridge, meaning its road splits into two giant sections that lift like seesaws. Each section weighs over 1,000 tons yet can rise to an 86 degree angle in just five minutes.

The word bascule comes from French for seesaw. Spanning the Thames between the medieval Tower fortress on the north bank and Southwark on the south, this bridge solved a critical problem. By the 1870s, nearly 40% of the population lived east of the old bridge, but building a fixed crossing would block ships from reaching the busy docks upstream. Architect Sir Horace Jones and engineer John Wolfe Barry created an ingenious solution.

Over 11,000 tons of steel form its skeleton, covered in Cornish granite and Portland stone to match the ancient Tower nearby. It took 432 workers daily and cost over £1 million. Originally powered by steam, the hydraulics now run on electricity. The bridge still opens around 800 times yearly, as river traffic legally has priority over road vehicles.