Tower Bridge

Tower Bridge was built in  1886–1894. It is close to the Tower of London, from which it takes its name.it has become an iconic symbol of London.

The bridge is present colour scheme dates from 1977, when it was painted red, white and blue for the Queen Elizabeth II's silver jubilee.

Tower Bridge is sometimes mistakenly referred to as London Bridge, which is the next bridge upstream.

The nearest London Underground station is Tower Hill on the Circle and District lines, and the nearest Docklands Light Railway station is Tower Gateway.

The bridge was officially opened on 30 June 1894 by The Prince of Wales and his wife, The Princess of Wales.

The bridge is 244 m in length with two towers each 65 m high, built on piers. The central span of 61 m between the towers is split into two equal bascules or leaves, which can be raised to an angle of 86 degrees to allow river traffic to pass. The bascules, weighing over 1,000 tons each, are counterbalanced to minimise the force required and allow raising in five minutes.

The two side-spans are suspension bridges, each 82 m long, with the suspension rods anchored both at the abutments and through rods contained within the bridge's upper walkways. The pedestrian walkways are 44 m above the river at high tide.