Approved by the 1885 Act and opened in 1894, Tower Bridge combined Sir John Wolfe Barry’s engineering with Sir Horace Jones’s neo‑Gothic architecture. Steam‑hydraulic bascules gave way to electro‑hydraulics in 1976; since 1982 the high‑level walkways and engine rooms form a public exhibition as the bridge continues daily operations.
East London’s growth demanded a new crossing that would not choke river traffic. The winning 1884 proposal paired bascules with suspension spans, harmonizing with the Tower of London.
Deep concrete piers anchor steelwork faced in granite and Portland stone. Steam‑powered hydraulics originally raised the bascules in about a minute via accumulators; a 1976 retrofit introduced oil‑and‑electric systems, with the Victorian plant preserved for exhibition.
Navigation retains priority: scheduled openings—now about a thousand yearly—still punctuate the Thames. Continuous repainting and mechanical overhaul keep the bridge functional, while the 1982 public opening turned infrastructure into museum, framing the city’s evolving skyline.
