Tower Bridge London - Rosotravel

For most travellers, a visit to London is a vacation of a lifetime. The city is home to numerous world-famous attractions, like the St. Paul’s Cathedral, Tower of London, London Eye, Big Ben and many more.

Whilst 33 bridges cross the River Thames, the Tower Bridge is the most famous bridge in London with its twin towers and picture-perfect exterior. It’s a symbol of London’s glorious past and attracts thousands of tourists every day and is being used by over 40,000 people (motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians) daily. The Tower Bridge tour is a treasure to experience if you’re looking for the best things to do in London.

Interestingly enough, many tourists confuse Tower Bridge with London Bridge. While the London Bridge has the great honour of bearing the city’s name, it is located further down the Thames. However, the original London Bridge is no longer in London. In 1967, the bridge was disassembled and moved to Lake Havasu in Arizona. When comparing the Tower Bridge vs London Bridge there is simply no comparison, and the Tower Bridge London is a must-visit.

London Bridge History

When the Romans founded the city of London on the banks of the river Thames, there was only one river crossing linking the city to the south bank of the river. For centuries this bridge remained the only way to cross the river unless one hired a boat. So, as the city of London grew and expanded, more bridges were built, but these were mostly built towards the west of the London Bridge, while the east area of the bridge became a busy port, with docks lining the riverside.

Moving forward to the 19th century….

London and its crowding problem

By the mid-19th century, the population of London boomed and became the largest city in the world. There were about 6 million people living in London at that time. As a result, the streets of London became chaotic and there were endless traffic jams everywhere. So, in order to avoid the city from coming to a complete standstill and allow ships to access the docks, a committee was formed in 1876 to find a solution. People from all walks of life gave their ideas and over 50 projects were submitted for careful review. But the authorities took years to reach a decision, as a result the traffic problem only became worse.

Construction of the bridge begins

Finally, in 1884 one of the 50 projects submitted was finally approved. This was the idea of civil engineer Joseph Bazalgette. And two years later, five building contractors and 432 workers began building the massive bridge. They used a staggering 11,000 tons of steel to support the towers and walkway. At the same time to give the bridge a fabulous look, the towers were clad with limestone. On June 30, 1894, the bridge was officially opened by the then Prince of Wales and his wife Alexandra of Denmark. And decades later, the metal parts of the Tower Bridge were painted in the national colours of England – red, white and blue – to celebrate the Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II.

Closed due to unlawful activities

Sadly, the reputation of the bridge walkways soon became tarnished as it became a hangout spot for prostitutes and pickpockets, and there was a surge in crime. As a result, the bridge was closed to pedestrians in 1910. But this did not cause any problem to the general public as they preferred watching from the banks of the river – bascules being raised and the ships sailing by. Years later in 1982, the city authorities reopened the walkway to the public.

Tower Bridge today

Today, Tower Bridge London is a popular attraction with tourists. As you take a walk along the walkway, you’ll enjoy amazing views of London. It also serves as a museum that showcases the history of the Tower Bridge. In 2014, a section of the walkway was fixed with a glass floor and visitors are welcome to walk along and enjoy a birds-eye view of the river 138 feet below. The glass floor section is 36 feet long and 6 feet wide. As you stand on the glass floor you will enjoy unobstructed views of the cars, bicycles and boats below. It’s simply an amazing experience to watch the bascules being raised.

Tower Bridge Tour

There is more to see at the Tower Bridge than simply walking across or taking photographs. During the tour you will go inside the bridge and view the city from a walkway between the towers, and also learn about the construction of the bridge inside the Exhibition Room.

North Tower

Your tour begins with a walk through a grand Victorian staircase or lift, to the North Tower. This experience will take you back in time to the nineteenth century. With the help of interactive displays, you will learn about the fascinating history of the Tower Bridge.

Glass Floor

Next, you will move towards the East and West walkways where you will experience the famous Glass Floor. It was installed in 1982 when it was reopened for pedestrians. At 42 m above the river Thames and 33.5 m above road level, this glass floor will provide you with a magnificent birds-eye view of London life. This walkway also offers panoramic views of famous London landmarks, like the Monument, St. Paul’s Cathedral, and St. Katharine’s Docks.

South Tower and Walk of Fame

At the South Tower you will see a short feature film on the unique architecture of the Tower Bridge, like its ‘bascule’ or see-saw bridge structure. You will descend from the walkways using a similar Victorian staircase or lift, to the ground level and go through the ‘Walk of Fame’. On the bridge, you will also see ornamental bronze plaques with names of those who helped build, maintain and operate the bridge.

Victorian Engine Room

The last part of the Tower Bridge tour will take you down to the engine rooms. This room once powered the Tower Bridge and required nearly 80 people to raise the bridge and work the steam-powered machines. Here you’ll learn about the force of steam and the innovative hydraulic system that lifted Tower Bridge’s 1,000-tonne bascules until the 1970s. The bridge used to be raised 20-30 times per day in the Victorian era. Today, the bridge is operated using electricity, but the engine rooms stand as a witness to the men who worked to keep the bridge functioning for daily use.

Tower Bridge Souvenirs

During your visit you can buy souvenirs featuring the Tower Bridge to take home from the gift shop. It’s ideal to rekindle memories of your time in London every time you see your Tower Bridge gift. You can choose from a wide range of memorabilia and souvenirs which includes – pencil sharpeners, paperweights, clocks and models, keychains and fridge magnets.

Private Guided Tour with Rosotravel

Tower Bridge London is free to access, but if you want to access the sky bridge and the Tower Bridge exhibition then you need to book a tour.

To begin with, the Tower Bridge is a popular landmark and can get crowded during popular seasons. In order to avoid long queues and lines, we recommend you to book our skip-the-line Tower Bridge tour. You will be led by an expert guide who will give you a holistic experience of the bridge’s history and its significance.

Further, to enhance your visit to the Tower Bridge we will schedule your tour when the bridge opens to allow a ship to pass by. The Tower Bridge opens and closes approximately 1000 times per year or 3 times per day. It takes approximately one minute to open and one minute to close plus the time it takes a ship to pass through. You can check the lift times posted on the Tower Bridge website.

Interesting Facts About the Tower Bridge

The bridge is 244 metres long and 65 metres high.

The bridge got its name from the Tower of London.

It took eight years and 432 labourers to build the London Tower Bridge.

The cost of construction was £1,184,000 in 1894. In today’s money that equals £152,616,515.39.

The foundation of the tower used 70,000 tons of concrete to support the structure.

Each levered section of the bascule weighs over 1,100 tons.

In 1977, the bridge was painted red, white and blue to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II silver jubilee.

Every day around 40,000 vehicles cross the Thames over the Tower Bridge.

Former US President Bill Clinton once waited 20 minutes for a barge to sail underneath the bridge, so he could cross the bridge.

In an emergency landing, a pilot named Frank McClean flew a plane between the bascules and the walkway in 1912.

A man parachuted off the bridge in 1917 to prove its usefulness to RAF Pilots.

The bridge is also used for special events like musical concerts in the bascule chambers or sunrise yoga on the glass sky walk.

During the 2012 Summer Olympics, the bridge became a centre-of-attention when the Olympic rings were suspended from the walkways.

Visitors Information

Pedestrian access to the Tower Bridge is available at any time, but the Tower Bridge Experience (tour) has certain hours for visiting.

The Tower Bridge London is open from 9:30am to 6:00pm with the last entry at 5:00pm.

The Tower Bridge Exhibition is open daily except between 24th -26th December and 1st January.

Visit duration: 1 – 2 hours.

Best time to visit: The best time of the day to visit the bridge is during the early hours after opening.

There are no toilets available near the entrance in the North Tower. However, there are adapted toilets in the South Tower.

Assistance pets are allowed entrance.

If you need any other assistance, look out for hosts in blue uniforms for guidance.

We hope this post of Tower Bridge London has inspired you to include this iconic landmark on your bucket list. While most tourists visit Tower Bridge during the day, we recommend taking a Tower Bridge Tour at night too. The lights on the famous bridge in London make it extra special and well worth the extra visit. Please do share your experience of the Tower Bridge with us in the comments section.