Tower Bridge

Tower Bridge is an iconic part of the London skyline and a major landmark on the River Thames. Built between 1886 and 1894, Tower Bridge was designed by Horace Jones and engineered by John Wolfe Barry. It is a Grade I listed building. Tower Bridge was designed to include three types of bridge. The two spans from the shore to the piers are a suspension bridge. The central, opening span is a bascule bridge and the high level walkways were cantilever bridges until converted to suspension bridges in 1960. This unique structure crosses the River Thames near to the Tower of London and is one of five London bridges owned and maintained by the City Bridge Foundation. The bridge is 940 feet (290 m) in length including the abutments and consists of two 213-foot (65 m) bridge towers connected at the upper level by two horizontal walkways and a central pair of bascules that can open to allow shipping through. Originally hydraulically powered, the operating mechanism was converted to an electro-hydraulic system in 1972.