Some facts about Tower Bridge:
-Horace Jones’ now world famous design was chosen for London’s new bridge in 1884. This picture was taken during construction of the Victorian engineering marvel in 1892, 110 years ago!
- Before the bridge opened it took 432 construction engineers 8 years to complete the project that involved using 11,000 tons of steel!
-The paddles, or basclues, were originally operated hydraulically using steam power. The energy was stored in 6 massive accumulators that enabled the bridge to open incredibly fast when necessary despite its vast size. It took only one minute to raise the bascules to their maximum angle of 86 degrees!
Learn how Tower Bridge was concieved, built and operated since its opening in 1894 on our exclusive tour of the Tower Bridge Exhibition before the cruise!