Tower Bridge
A Grade I listed combined bascule, suspension, and cantilever bridge in London, opened in 1894.
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via Wikipedia: Tower Bridge · see source
Tower Bridge, a Grade I listed structure in London, was constructed from 1886 to 1894 and incorporates bascule, suspension, and (until 1960) cantilever bridge types.[1] This bridge, situated near the Tower of London, spans the River Thames and is among five London bridges whose ownership and maintenance fall to the City Bridge Foundation.[1] Measuring 940 feet from abutment to abutment, the bridge features two towers each 213 feet tall, linked at their tops by two walkways, plus a central opening bascule pair for ship passage.[2]
Geography and history
Construction started on 22 April 1886, with the foundation stone laid by the Prince of Wales on 21 June, and took eight years.[3] Constructing a conventional fixed bridge at ground level was impossible, as it would block sailing vessels from reaching the Pool of London's port facilities.[4] Eight separate contracts governed the work, with the combined accepted tender sum reaching £830,005.[5] The construction site employed an average of 432 workers, though at least 1,200 individuals were involved in the overall building effort.[6]
The Prince and Princess of Wales performed the official opening of Tower Bridge on 30 June 1894.[7]
What the cited sources add
The BBC News account of the 1952 bus incident states that driver Albert Gunter was given a £10 reward from London Transport after crossing the Tower Bridge gap.[8] The BBC News account reports that the Corporation of London accepted responsibility for the accident, stating "it appeared that the accident was attributable to an error of judgment on the part of the responsible employee at the bridge"[8] The Tower Bridge Restoration website notes that all four suspension chains were repainted using a state-of-the-art high-performance coating system, which will protect Tower Bridge for at least 25 years.[9] The towerbridge.org.uk account explains that during the competition to build Tower Bridge held between 1876 and 1879, fifty different designs were proposed, including many types of moving bridges.[10]
The Tower Bridge Restoration website reports that more than 22,000 litres of paint will eventually be used as the bridge is being repainted in its white and blue colour scheme.[11] The Classic FM account reports that composer Samuel Bordoli created a Live Music Sculpture for which 30 musicians from the Royal Academy of Music will perform along the entire West Walkway.[12]
References
- Wikipedia, "Tower Bridge" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "What type of bridge is Tower Bridge?", towerbridge.org.uk; Portman, "Henry Marc Brunel: Civil Engineer", Construction History, 2004, p. 71–83 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Tower Bridge" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Cruttwell, ""The Tower Bridge: Superstructure"", Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers, 10 November 1896, p. 53 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Tower Bridge" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Welch, "History of The Tower Bridge", Smith, Elder and Co., 1894, p. 152–200; "Thames – Bridges – Tower Bridge", Victorian London; "The Opening Of The Towerbridge", The Times, 2 July 1894, p. 11 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Tower Bridge" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Bracken 2011, p. 56 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Tower Bridge" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Welch Barry Benham 1894, p. 159; "Sir William Arrol", Tower Bridge; Cruttwell, ""The Tower Bridge: Superstructure"", Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers, 10 November 1896, p. 53; Tuit, "The Tower Bridge", The Engineer, 15 December 1893, p. 556; Tuit, "The Tower Bridge", The Engineer, 15 December 1893, p. 556 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Tower Bridge" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Cruttwell, ""The Tower Bridge: Superstructure"", Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers, 10 November 1896, p. 53; "The Workmen Entertained", City Press, 4 July 1894; Tower Bridge 1994, p. 47; "About Edward Cruttwell", Heritage – Tower Bridge; Cruttwell, ""The Tower Bridge: Superstructure"", Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers, 10 November 1896, p. 53 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Tower Bridge" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Weinreb Hibbert Keay Keay 2008, p. 922; Robins 2017, p. 17; "The Opening Of The Towerbridge", The Times, 2 July 1894, p. 11; "The New Tower Bridge – Opening By The Prince", The Standard, 2 July 1894, p. 3 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- "The man who 'jumped' a double-decker bus over Tower Bridge's gap", BBC News, 30 December 2024. facts only, no text reused. bbc.co.uk
- "Tower Bridge restored to true colours", Tower Bridge Restoration, 10 March 2010. facts only, no text reused. thetowerbridge.info
- "What type of bridge is Tower Bridge?", towerbridge.org.uk. facts only, no text reused. towerbridge.org.uk
- "Finishing touches to Tower Bridge", Tower Bridge Restoration. facts only, no text reused. thetowerbridge.info
- "Tower Bridge is London's Latest Venue", Classic FM. facts only, no text reused. classicfm.com
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Tower Bridge (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Tower Bridge (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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