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In the late 1800s, London was faced with the task of building a new span across the Thames, downstream of London Bridge. In order to allow tall-masted sailing ships to pass through to the Thames' port facilities, the new bridge could not be a typical street-level, fixed crossing.
In 1877, a committee was formed which held a public competition for a bridge design. The committee settled on the design of City Architect (and committee judge) Sir Horace Jones.
Jones’ design was a hybrid, with two suspension bridge spans reaching from the river banks to two towers in the middle of the river. The towers were connected by elevated walkways and a bascule bridge (more commonly known as a drawbridge) that could hydraulically raise to allow ships to pass.
1889
The eight-year process of construction began in 1887 with the sinking of the two tower piers, which contained more than 70,000 tons of concrete.
Atop these piers, the steel framework of the towers was put into place. This framework was initially planned to be covered in brick, but when George D. Stevenson took over the project, he decided to give the towers an elaborate Victorian Gothic facade of granite and limestone, to better match the nearby Tower of London.
1890
1892
1893
1893
1893
1893
The eight-year process of construction began in 1887 with the sinking of the two tower piers, which contained more than 70,000 tons of concrete.
Atop these piers, the steel framework of the towers was put into place. This framework was initially planned to be covered in brick, but when George D. Stevenson took over the project, he decided to give the towers an elaborate Victorian Gothic facade of granite and limestone, to better match the nearby Tower of London.
1894The upper level of Tower Bridge with the bascules up.
1894 Tower Bridge nears completion.
1894 The nearly complete bridge.
1894 - Ice floes clog the Thames near Tower Bridge during the severe cold spell of December 1894 to March 1895.
1895 - The main shafting of the hydraulic machinery at Tower Bridge.
1895 - A row of boats moored on the Thames, with Tower Bridge in the background.
1895A group of sightseers hold onto their hats on a windy corner of Tower Bridge.
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