In the second half of the 19th century it was determined that another crossing of the Thames River was required. In 1876 a Committee was formed to come up with a solution. The Committee asked for submissions from the public, however it was not until 1884 when a submission from the city architect, Horace Jones, was approved. Interestingly, Horace Jones was also one of the judges.
Construction of Tower Bridge began in 1886 and took eight years to build. It was officially opened by the Prince and Princess of Wales (the future King Edward VII and his wife, Alexandra of Denmark) on 30 June 1894.
Tower Bridge is a combined bascule and suspension bridge. Originally the bascule was operated hydraulically using steam power (from coal burners and water from the river). Today it uses oil and electricity.
Tower Bridge is over referred to wrongly as London Bridge, which is the next bridge upstream. It was referred to as TowerBridge long before its construction began, mainly due to it being located near the Tower of London. After its construction, it kept the name of Tower Bridge, as it is known today.
Vintage photomechanical print of the Tower Bridge in London, England, which was taken towards the end of the 19th century. The photograph shows the famous bridge closed to traffic to allow a boat to pass under as it travels along the Thames River. (LOC: LC-DIG-ppmsc-08567).
Visit OldeWorldGifts to see the range of products featuring this vintage photomechanical print of Tower Bridge.
No comments:
Post a Comment