London Tower Bridge

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Tower Bridge

 

The Tower Bridge was originally the only crossing over the River Thames, a very sophisticated, hydraulically operated bascule. This iconic symbol of London is composed of two towers tied together by two horizontal walkways. It's fun to note that when the Tower Bridge was completed in 1894, many of London's population have disregarded these high-level walkways that will allow them to cross the bridge even when it was raised. As people would rather wait at the bottom and observe the bascules rise up, the walkways were closed for lack of use in 1910.

Before Tower Bridge has been painted red, white and blue in 1977, it was chocolate brown.

The bridge was then opened to the public in 1982, adjacent to the Tower Bridge Exhibition and

the walkways were opened once again. It also became very public in 1994, as the bridge was

finally allowed to become a venue for parties and other celebration.

The Tower Bridge, which connects Borough to the heart of the City of London Financial District, was chosen as one of the four Britain's Best Buildings by Architectural historian Dan Cruickshank.

A major facelift is being done to the Tower Bridge. This includes stripping-off the existing paint and repainting in blue and white. The bridge will remain open until the end of 2010 and will be opened only after the transformation.