Tower Bridge, London, England

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.

Tower Bridge I, London, England by OldeWorldGifts

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.

Porlezza, Lombardy, Italy

Porlezza is a town in the province of Como in Lombardy, Italy about 60 km north of Milan and is situated on the edge of the Swiss/Italian lake, Lake Lugano.

Porlezza is considered to be a typical medieval town with a number of baroque works important locally for their artistic content. St Maurizio is a Romanesque church which was buried for centuries and was dug out in the 19th century. St Maria dei miracoli which was built in the 16th century is also one of the highlights of the town.

Porlezza City View, Lombardy, Italy by OldeWorldGifts

Vintage photomechanical print of Porlezza in Lombardy, Italy, which was taken towards the end of the 19th century. The photograph features the old architecture of this picturesque town with Lake Lugano in the background. (LOC: LC-DIG-ppmsc-06587).

Visit Olde World Gifts to see the full range of products featuring this beautiful vintage photograph.

Tivoli Park, Copenhagen, Denmark

Tivoli Gardens is a famous amusement park in Copenhagen, Denmark which opened on 15 August 1843. It is the second oldest amusement park in the world, after Dyrehavsbakken in nearby Klampenborg.

Tivoli Gardens was created by Georg Carstensen (1812 - 1857), who obtained approval from King Christian VIII by telling him that "when the people are amusing themselves, they do not think about politics".

From it's inception, Tivoli gardens included a variety of attractions: a theatre, band stands, restaurants and cafés, and beautiful flower gardens. In the evenings, coloured lamps illuminated the gardens. It also included amusement rides such as a merry-go-round and a scenic railway.

Walt Disney visited Tivoli Park, which became the inspiration for his Disneyland.

Tivoli Park Entrance Copenhagen by OldeWorldGifts

Photomechanical print of the entrance to Tivoli Park in Copenhagen, Denmark, which was taken at the end of the 19th century.

Visit OldeWorldGifts to see the full range of products featuring this picture of the entrance to Tivoli Gardens.

The Beauty of County Dublin I

County Dublin, called Contae Átha Cliath in Gaelic, is located on the east coast of Ireland in the province of Leinster and is known today as the Dublin Region. County Dublin was one of the first Counties of Ireland to be formally structured in the 12th century by King John of England.

The Dublin Region includes the city of Dublin, which is the capital of Ireland as well as the largest city in Ireland. It also includes the modern counties of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown, Fingal and South Dublin.

The city of Dublin, known as Baile Átha Cliath or Áth Cliathis in Gaelic, is situated near the midpoint of Ireland's east coast, at the mouth of the River Liffey.

Dublin was originally founded as a Viking settlement about 841 and became the island's primary city following the Norman invasion. Following the partition of Ireland in 1922, it became the capital of the Irish Free State and since 1949 is the capital of the Republic of Ireland.

 

Dublin City View by OldeWorldGifts

This is a photomechanical print of a street view of the city of Dublin which was taken towards the end of the 19th century. The photograph shows people in Dublin going about their daily routines - either walking or travelling via trams or horse and carriage on Sackville Street and O'Connell Bridge. (LOC - LC-DIG-ppmsc-09876).

Visit OldeWorldGifts to see the full range of products available with this amazing old picture of Dublin.

Welcome to Olde World Gifts

Welcome to Olde World Gifts - the place where we can travel to days gone by around the world via images. Through the use of old photographs and images, we can see how the world once was and learn about its history and its people - it is a rich and vibrant place.