London's Tower Bridge

During my all too brief visit to London in September 2014, I had set out to do a whirlwind tour of some of the big touristy sites in the city. The Tower Bridge wasn't initially planned to be one of the highlights of my time in London, although I knew I was going to see it because I had planned on spending time at the nearby Tower of London. While touring around the Tower of London was definitely worth the high price of admission, after walking around the historic fortress and palace, I had little interest in waiting on a long line to see Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's crown jewels, so I opted to check out one of the crown jewels of the world of bridges.

While crossing over the River Thames by foot on the Tower Bridge, I discovered that there is a museum and exhibition inside the bridge's towers and the high level observation decks, so I had to check it out. While you visit the museum, you can watch a video about the bridge's design and construction, its opening over 120 years ago, visit an exhibit the observation deck and even visit the engine room. I certainly enjoyed learning about the ins and outs of the Tower Bridge, along with seeing the bridge both inside and out.

View of the Tower Bridge

The Thames has a fair amount of river traffic around the bridge.

The Tower Bridge as seen from the Tower of London. Despite the grand Victorian era design of the Tower Bridge's towers, the bridge is actually named after the Tower of London.

A little closer side view of the center towers and observation deck.

The Tower Bridge is open to both vehicles and foot traffic.

The Tower Bridge is also one of the more detailed bridges that I've visited.

A view of the Thames from the observation deck.

Standing underneath the observation deck of the bridge.


A view of part of London's skyline from the bridge.

Some views inside the bridge's engine room. The bridge was once operated by steam as the bridge's bascule lift was opened and closed. The power source of the bridge was converted to electricity in 1976. It takes about 1 minute and 15 seconds to open or close the lift.

Sources and Links
Tower Bridge Exhibition - Bridge History
Elite Travel Blog - How Long Does Tower Bridge Take To Open and Close?
Londontopia.net - Tower Bridge: 10 Facts and Figures About London's Tower Bridge You Probably Didn't Know
Tower Bridge Exhibition - Tower Bridge Engine Rooms
Flickr - Doug Kerr's Flickr Gallery on the Tower Bridge

Comments

Hawaii Route 8930

Hawaii Route 8930 is a 2.5-mile State Highway on the Island of O'hau. Hawaii Route 8930 is aligned over Kualakai Parkway over the course of its entire alignment south from Interstate H-1 to Kapolei Parkway. Hawaii Route 8930 is one of the newest Hawaii Routes only having been completed during 2010. This page is part of the Gribblenation O'ahu Highways page. All Gribblenation and Roadwaywiz media related to the highway system of O'ahu can be found at the link below: https://www.gribblenation.org/p/gribblenation-oahu-highways-page.html Part 1; the history of Hawaii Route 8930 The history of Hawaii Route 8930 is brief given it is a modern facility. Hawaii Route 8930 and what was known as "North-South Road" were built to facilitate the developing areas of Kapolei on western O'ahu. According to hawaiihighways.com the first stage of Hawaii Route 8930 was completed from Kapolei Parkway north to Farrington Highway as a four-lane highway during November...

Madera County Road 607 and the Stockton-Los Angeles Road

Madera County Road 607 is an approximately seven-mile rural unsurfaced highway which spans from Road 600 near Raymond west to Road 29. Road 607 west from Raymond Road Cemetery (established in 1905) is part of the Stockton-Los Angeles Road corridor surveyed in 1853. The corridor lies in the gap between Fresno Crossing at the Fresno River west to Newton's Crossing at the Chowchilla River. The Buchanan Copper Mine would be along what is now Road 607 in the namesake Buchanan Hollow during July 1863. The Buchanan Mine is thought to have once had a population of between 1,000-1,500 residents by the early 1870s. Copper prices would decline in the decade after the Civil War and much of the activity at Buchanan shifted towards cattle ranching. The last businesses in the community would shutter during World War II and it is now a true ghost town. Part 1; the history of Madera County Road 607 and the Stockton-Los Angeles Road What is now Road 607 was a component of the larger Sto...

Old US Route 60/70 through Hell (Chuckwall Valley Road and Ragsdale Road)

Back in 2016 I explored some of the derelict roadways of the Sonoran Desert of Riverside County which were part of US Route 60/70; Chuckwalla Valley Road and Ragsdale Road. US 60 and US 70 were not part of the original run of US Routes in California. According to USends.com US 60 was extended into California by 1932. US 60 doesn't appear on the California State Highway Map until the 1934 edition. USends.com on US 60 endpoints 1934 State Highway Map Conversely US 70 was extended into California by 1934, it first appears on the 1936 State Highway Map. USends.com on US 70 endpoints 1936 State Highway Map When US 60 and US 70 were extended into California they both utilized what was Legislative Route Number 64 from the Arizona State Line west to Coachella Valley. LRN 64 was part of the 1919 Third State Highway Bond Act routes. The original definition of LRN 64 routed between Mecca in Blythe and wasn't extended to the Arizona State Line until 1931 acc...

Gribblenation

Search This Blog