Tower Bridge in London: description, history, features and interesting facts

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:41

The Tower Bridge is one of the hallmarks of London and Britain in general, along with Buckingham Palace and the London Eye. The structure is over a hundred years old. However, the bridge is still beautiful, lively and interesting to the public, and also brilliantly copes with its original function.

Bridge location

Tower Bridge in London (Tower Bridge in English) is often confused with London, which is located slightly upstream. Outwardly, these two structures are absolutely not similar, but due to their location there are confusions. As a matter of fact, when mentioning the first bridge, it is enough to think a little about its name, and everything will become clear. It was named Tower because it is located in close proximity to the Tower fortress on the north bank of the Thames. In the photo below you see London Bridge.

Location coordinates: 51°30'20″ s. sh. 0°04'30″ W e. Tower Bridge has a great location. From the huge windows of his gallery offers a picturesque view of the city with a recognizable skyscraper, nicknamed the "cucumber", and the building of The Shard. Looking east, you can see the Greenwich Observatory and St. Catherine's Docks.

Tower Bridge description

The bridge is drawbridge and hanging at the same time. Its length is 244 m, and the maximum width (on the central span) reaches 61 m. The middle part of the bridge is divided into two lifting wings, each of which weighs more than a thousand tons. To allow passage of vessels on the Thames, they can be raised at an angle of 83 degrees. Towers 65 m high are installed on the intermediate supports of the bridge. At the upper level, they are connected by two paths. They are designed to resist the horizontal tension forces that the suspension sections of the Tower Bridge create on land. Rotating mechanisms are placed at the base of each tower.

The current color scheme of the bridge (blue and white) was adopted in 2010. Prior to that, it had remained unchanged since 1977, when in honor of the silver jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, the structure was painted in three colors: blue, red and white.

The deck of the bridge is open to both vehicular and pedestrian traffic. However, the twin towers, upper level walkways and Victorian-era engine rooms are part of the Tower Bridge exhibit. Visiting these sites is possible with tickets.

History of Creation

The second half of the 19th century was marked by the development and rise of the East End. Pedestrian and equestrian trafficincreased many times, in connection with this, the question of organizing a crossing across the Thames east of London Bridge has become urgent. In 1870, the Tower Subway tunnel was dug under the river. It served as a metro for a rather short period and eventually became used only by pedestrians. Now it houses a water main. Thus, the tunnel did not solve the problem, so in 1876 a special committee was set up under the leadership of Sir A. D. Altman, who had to find a way to cross the river.

The Committee announced a competition, which brought together more than 50 projects. The winner was announced in 1884, at the same time they decided to build the Tower Bridge (in English - Tower Bridge). The construction was authorized by an act of Parliament in 1885. It determined the dimensions of the bridge, as well as the style of construction - Gothic.

Building a bridge

The construction of the bridge, later called the Tower, began in 1886 and lasted eight years. During this time, five major contractors took part in the process: D. Jackson, Baron Armstrong, W. Webster, H. Bartlett and W. Arorol. 432 people were involved in the construction. The total cost of the bridge at that time amounted to 1,184 thousand pounds. Over 11,000 tons of steel were used in the construction.

The official opening of the Tower Bridge took place on June 30, 1894. The ceremony was attended by the Prince of Wales (future King Edward VII) with his wife Alexandra of Denmark.

Already in the first years of its operation, the footpaths between the bridge towers found an unpleasantreputation as a haven for pickpockets and prostitutes. Since they were rarely used by ordinary pedestrians, they were closed in 1910. The galleries were reopened only in 1982. Now they are used as an observation deck and a museum.

Axle hydraulic system

Tower Bridge, as mentioned above, has a central span divided into two lifting wings. They rise to an angle of 83 degrees. Thanks to counterweights that minimize all efforts, the bridge can be raised in just one minute. The span is driven by a hydraulic system. Initially, it was water with a working pressure of 50 bar. The water was pumped by two steam engines with a total capacity of 360 hp. This system was developed by Hamilton Owen Rendel.

The hydraulic mechanism and gas lighting system were installed by William Sugg & Co Ltd, well known in Westminster. The lanterns glowed originally from an open gas burner inside them. The system was later upgraded to modern incandescent lamps.

The hydraulic system was completely updated only in 1974. The only component still in use today are the final gears. They are driven by a modern hydraulic gear motor that uses oil rather than water. The original mechanisms have been partially preserved. Now they are not in use and are open to the public, forming the basis of the museum, which has a bridge in London's Tower Bridge.

Bridge upgrade

In 1974work began on replacing the outdated original mechanism with an electro-hydraulic drive system. In 2000, a modern computer system was installed for remote control of raising and lowering the stands. However, it proved to be unreliable in practice, and as a result, the bridge repeatedly stuck open or closed until its sensors were replaced in 2005.

In 2008-2012 the bridge underwent a facelift or, as the press called it, a "facelift". The procedure took four years and cost £4 million. Existing paint on the structure was worn down to bare metal. To prevent its remains from falling into the Thames, each section of the bridge was covered with scaffolding and plastic sheeting. The structure was painted blue and white. In addition, the bridge received a new lighting design.

Bridge control

In order to effectively manage the bridge and regulate river traffic, a number of rules and signals were applied. In the daytime, control was carried out using a red semaphore, which was installed on small cabins on both sides of the bridge piers. At night, multi-colored lights were used: two red ones - the passage is closed and two green ones - the bridge is open. In foggy weather, a gong accompanied the light signals.

Ships passing through the bridge also had to display certain signals. During the day, it was a black ball less than 0.61 m in diameter, mounted at a height accessible to the eye. At night, red lights lit up in the same place. In foggy weather requiredship's steam whistle blows multiple times.

Part of the signaling equipment has been preserved and is currently on display in the museum.

Interestingly, the bridge is over 100 years old, and is a busy place with many tourists, while still retaining a lot of traffic. More than 40 thousand people cross it every day (pedestrians, cyclists, motorists). In order to preserve the integrity of the structure, there is a speed limit on the bridge - no more than 32 km / h - and in terms of vehicle weight - no more than 18 tons.

In the old days, the bridge was opened daily and more than once. Now, to drive under it, you must notify the administration 24 hours in advance. Opening times are published on the official website. Travel is free.

The name of the bridge and its appearance are familiar to the whole world, and therefore are often used for advertising purposes. For example, many educational institutions are called Tower Bridge. In particular, a commercial Moscow institution with in-depth study of the English language. In order to have an idea about the institution, read the reviews about Tower Bridge School left by its students and their parents.

Public reaction to the bridge

It is noteworthy that the Tower Bridge, without which it is simply impossible to imagine modern London, was criticized quite strongly at the beginning of the 20th century. It was called the vice of idleness, falsification and pretentiousness. British artist and designer Frank Brangwyn stated that a more absurd structurenever built over strategically important rivers.

As time went on, the public perception of the bridge changed. Now it is a recognized landmark of the capital of the state. Historian and architecture connoisseur Dan Cruikshank selected it as one of four sites featured in his film Britain's Finest Buildings.