Tower Bridge

Tower Bridge is one of the most iconic sites of London. I have visited this place a few times, but have never really managed to go back since they had installed a glass floor on the highest walkway.

This bridge is often confused with London Bridge, which is only half a mile away. It connects the south side of the river to the Tower of London just next to it. Tower Bridge was built between 1886 and 1894.

When inside the bridge, you can walk from one tower to the other. The panoramic views are stunning, and you can also experience busy London life by peering down through the glass floor, which I found quite scary. I felt really uncomfortable standing on it.

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Inside is very interesting. There are lots of steps to go up, so prepare yourself for some exercise. There is a lot of information inside about how the bridge were built. Construction started in 1886 and took eight years, using five major contractors. Tower Bridge was officially opened on 30 June 1894 by the Prince and Princess of Wales .

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You have good views of the city of London. When I was there it was quite nice, because there weren’t many people around.

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You can visit the engine rooms by exiting one tower and walking to ground level of the next one, I loved all the curving staircases going down to street level, very pretty.

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I found the engine rooms very shiny and the machinery was painted in bright and beautiful colors. I felt like I was in that film ‘Charlie in the Chocolate Factory’.

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Tower Bridge is still a busy crossing of the Thames, used by more than 40,000 people. The original raising mechanism was powered by pressurised water. In 1974, the original operating mechanism was largely replaced by a new electro-hydraulic drive system. I still have not managed to visit the bridge while it’s opening to see the tall ships going through, maybe next time…