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fromTower
Bridge
is
a
combined
bascule
and
suspension
bridge
in
London,
built
between
1886
and
1894.
The
bridge
crosses
the
River
Thames
close
to
the
Tower
of
London
and
has
become
a
world-famous
symbol
of
London.
As
a
result,
it
is
sometimes
confused
with
London
Bridge,
about
0.5
miles
(0.80
km)
upstream.
Tower
Bridge
is
one
of
five
London
bridges
owned
and
maintained
by
the
Bridge
House
Estates,
a
charitable
trust
overseen
by
the
City
of
London
Corporation.
It
is
the
only
one
of
the
trust's
bridges
not
to
connect
the
City
of
London
directly
to
the
Southwark
bank,
as
its
northern
landfall
is
in
Tower
Hamlets.
The
bridge
consists
of
two
bridge
towers
tied
together
at
the
upper
level
by
two
horizontal
walkways,
designed
to
withstand
the
horizontal
tension
forces
imposed
by
the
suspended
sections
of
the
bridge
on
the
landward
sides
of
the
towers.
The
vertical
components
of
the
forces
in
the
suspended
sections
and
the
vertical
reactions
of
the
two
walkways
are
carried
by
the
two
robust
towers.
The
bascule
pivots
and
operating
machinery
are
housed
in
the
base
of
each
tower.
The
bridge
deck
is
freely
accessible
to
both
vehicles
and
pedestrians,
whereas
the
bridge's
twin
towers,
high-level
walkways
and
Victorian
engine
rooms
form
part
of
the
Tower
Bridge
Exhibition,
for
which
an
admission
charge
is
made.
The
nearest
London
Underground
tube
stations
are
Tower
Hill
on
the
Circle
and
District
lines,
London
Bridge
on
the
Jubilee
and
Northern
lines
and
Bermondsey
on
the
Jubilee
line,
and
the
nearest
Docklands
Light
Railway
station
is
Tower
Gateway.[1]
The
nearest
National
Rail
stations
are
at
Fenchurch
Street
and
London
Bridge.
top
of
the
bridge
In
the
second
half
of
the
19th
century,
increased
commercial
development
in
the
East
End
of
London
led
to
demands
for
a
new
river
crossing
downstream
of
London
Bridge.
A
traditional
fixed
bridge
at
street
level
could
not
be
built
because
it
would
cut
off
access
by
sailing
ships
to
the
port
facilities
in
the
Pool
of
London,
between
London
Bridge
and
the
Tower
of
London.
A
Special
Bridge
or
Subway
Committee
was
formed
in
1877,
chaired
by
Sir
Albert
Joseph
Altman,
to
find
a
solution.[3]
More
than
fifty
designs
were
submitted,
including
one
from
civil
engineer
Sir
Joseph
Bazalgette,
which
was
rejected
because
of
a
lack
of
sufficient
headroom.
A
design
was
not
approved
until
1884,
when
it
was
decided
to
build
a
bascule
bridge.[2][4]
Sir
John
Wolfe
Barry
was
appointed
engineer
and
Sir
Horace
Jones
the
architect
(who
was
also
one
of
the
judges).[5][6]
An
Act
of
Parliament
was
passed
in
1885
authorising
the
bridge's
construction.
It
specified
the
opening
span
must
give
a
clear
width
of
200
feet
(61
m)
and
a
headroom
of
135
feet
(41
m).
Construction
had
to
be
in
a
Gothic
style.
Barry
designed
a
bridge
with
two
bridge
towers
built
on
piers.
The
central
span
was
split
into
two
equal
bascules
or
leaves,
which
could
be
raised
to
allow
river
traffic
to
pass.
The
two
side-spans
were
suspension
bridges,
with
rods
anchored
both
at
the
abutments
and
through
rods
contained
in
the
bridge's
upper
walkways.[5]
Construction
started
in
1886
and
took
eight
years
with
five
major
contractors
–
Sir
John
Jackson
(foundations),
Baron
Armstrong
(hydraulics),
William
Webster,
Sir
H.H.
Bartlett,
and
Sir
William
Arrol
&
Co.[7]
–
and
employed
432
construction
workers.
E
W
Crutwell
was
the
resident
engineer
for
the
construction.[8]
The
first
stone
was
laid
by
Albert,
Prince
of
Wales.[5]
