#TOWER BRIDGE DRIVER#

I’m pretty sure no one would want to be walking on a bridge powered by medieval engineering – you can see how it happened though. When many people first see Tower Bridge they think it was built in medieval times but that’s not true. It was Built to Look Much Older than it Actually is They don’t care who you are, Tower Bridge is opening for a ship and you will just have to wait. Ships have the Right of WayĪs long as they have given the folks that operate Tower Bridge over 24 hours notice.Įveryone, and that means everyone, has to wait for a ship to pass – even Bill Clinton who famously had to wait for 20 minutes while a barge sailed through in 1997. See – Tower Bridge is not just a pretty face (though it does look rather brilliant too). The bridge is raised through a combination of hydraulic pumps powered by oil and electricity aided by heavy counterweights. Which is kind of impressive when you consider how heavy the bascules are. It Only Takes Five Minutes to Raise the Bridge I’d actually say that’s pretty fast when you look at it. It Took 432 Construction Workers Eight Years to Build Tower Bridge It’s since had another major facelift (between 20), which saw it transformed with the gorgeous bright blue and white we see today. Tower Bridge was painted red, white and blue in 1977 to celebrate the Queen’s Silver Jubilee.

Tower Bridge Used to be Much Less Colourful In 1912, a pilot called Frank McClean had to fly his short biplane in between the bascules and the walkways during an emergency. Turns out that people have been pulling stunts on cameras for over a century – Instagram and Youtube didn’t invent it at all! A Plane Once Flew Between the Bascules and the Walkway Rather surprisingly, he was successful and the stunt is considered as the momentum for founding the Royal Parachute Regiment. His aim was to show the benefits of RAF pilots using parachutes. There’s a short film of Thomas Hans Orde-Lees jumping off of the Bridge in 1917 before parachuting safely into the River Thames below. A Man Once Parachuted off Tower Bridge to Extol the Benefits of Parachuting He made it to the other side, safe and sound and was given the next day off for his bravery and quick thinking. Gunter had to put his foot to the floor and make the bus leap over the opening gap. Turns out Tower Bridge was doing what it’s best-known for… starting to open, but with the bus on it.

#TOWER BRIDGE DRIVER#

In 1952, a bus driver Albert Gunter was casually driving the 75 bus across the bridge when he noticed something odd happening. This is hands down my favourite of the Tower Bridge facts I’ve found. Tower Bridge once Opened… With a Bus on it It also features over 31 million bricks and 2 million rivets. Tower Bridge is made up of more than 11,000 tons of steel and the foundations needed more than 70,000 tons of concrete to support the structure. Want an idea of how impressive the bridge is? Check out these Tower Bridge facts and figures. The Facts and Figures Involved in Tower Bridge’s Construction are Pretty Mind-Boggling They were closed in 1910 but now you can visit them as part of the Tower Bridge Exhibition. The walkways weren’t really used that much… and as a result they became one of London’s informal red light districts, frequented by ladies of the night looking for some custom. You can spy the walkways The Walkways Fell into Disrepair and Became one of London’s Informal Red Light Districts The two high level walkways were designed so that pedestrians would still be able to use Tower Bridge when it was open.

Originally Tower Bridge’s Two High Level Walkways Were Created so Pedestrians Could Still Use the Bridge When it was Open When Tower Bridge first opened, it used to be powered by coal burning steam engines, but these were replaced by a combination of electricity and oil in the 1970s. It Used to be Powered by Coal Burning Steam Engines You can visit on a special tour – but they also have occasional concerts in the chamber as the acoustics are pretty incredible.

The Bascule Chamber is one of London’s quirkier spots – a huge cavern underneath the bridge in which the counterweights swing to operate the bridge. There’s a Huge Chamber Underneath the Bridge to Counterbalance the Bascules Incidentally, bascule is derived from the French for see-saw – not hard to see why. The two sections in the central span are called bascules – and they raise up to an angle of 83 degrees. The Two Levered Sections are Called Bascules Sir Horace Jones – the architect behind Tower Bridge shaped some of the most iconic buildings in Victorian London including Leadenhall Market, Smithfield Market and Billingsgate Market. The Same Architect who Designed Tower Bridge also Designed Many of London’s Famous Markets

Tower bridge