A dozen CHAS members and friends gathered on a rather windy day to meet up with our guide Stephanie who together with one of her colleagues gave us a full history of the Bridge and how it came to be built.
It took 8 years to build and although 432 construction workers were involved, the few deaths occurred amongst the divers who were responsible for putting the giant piers in place. And even then it was thought this was as a result of ill-fitting diving gear rather than crush injuries. Some of the other designs are on display on the Walkways so it was relief to see that the one with a portcullis was not the one chosen.
One surprise is that the bridge is an early example of that bane of the urban landscape, stone cladding. It’s basically a metal bridge and the turrets are purely decorative. This was apparently due to Queen Victoria’s requirement that the view from and of the Tower of London not be spoilt.
We went up to the first level of the North Towers, thankfully by lift. In 1910, the walkways were closed as people preferred to wait for the bridge to close rather than climb up the stairs with their heavy loads – plus they became a rather insalubrious area at night much frequented apparently by ‘ladies of the night’.
Under the Corporation of London (Tower Bridge) Act 1885, the City of London Corporation is required to raise the Bridge to provide access to and egress from the Upper Pool of London for registered vessels with a mast or superstructure of 30 feet or more.
The service is provided free of charge subject to 24 hours’ notice and is available any time, day or night, 365 days per year. The Bridge is raised around 850 times each year but the bascules are only raised sufficiently to allow the vessel to pass safely under the bridge, except in the case of a vessel with the Queen on board when they are always raised fully.
Some of the pleasure boats have taken advantage of this Act and although normally quite capable of passing under the Bridge have now erected tall – and unnecessary – masts so they can give their passengers the thrill of passing the open bascules
Stephanie made sure that we arrived at the new Glass Walkways in time to get prime spaces for the 1700 bridge lift. The panoramic views from the windows both up and down the River are spectacular and although the small windows do slide open keen photographers need to be tall as they are set quite high up. These walkways and the bridge itself are now closed for three months for renovation.
As soon as the traffic barriers were raised, a race began among the cyclists who gather at the front during closure – apparently the “Tour de Tower Bridge” is a regular feature.
We continued down the South Tower and outside to gain access to the Victorian Engine Rooms, which house the beautiful steam engines that once powered the bridge lifts. Here we learned that the Dutch for boiler, rather appropriately, is ketel – the Tower provides information for visitors in an impressive array of languages
The engines are kept in sparkling order by a group of enthusiasts who come along and polish and oil them. They are truly magnificent and I was so impressed that the Victorians made sure that everything was not only operational but also decorative.