Illumination is by LEDs and replaces former less efficient forms of lighting in … Tower Bridge is owned, funded and managed by the City of London. The bridge was completed in 1894. London Bridge is a bridge in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. Tower Bridge, one of the London’s most famous landmarks, is a bascule and suspension bridge on River Thames.It has two towers, in Victorian Gothic style, that are connected with two walkways that are constructed so they can resist horizontal forces from suspended parts of the bridge. London Bridge acted more like a fire break and stopped the fire from rampaging into the south of London. To generate ideas, the Special Bridge or Subway Committee was formed in 1876, and a public competition was launched to find a design for the new crossing. When it was built, Tower Bridge was the largest and most sophisticated bascule bridge ever completed ('bascule' comes from the French word for 'seesaw'). In 1014 the Danes had seized London. Throughout its history, London bridge has been a busy thoroughfare, and was once lined with shops. 2012 - Playing a focal point in the London Olympics, this year saw the Olympic rings suspended from the Walkways and James Bond and ‘the Queen’ fly through in a helicopter during the Opening Ceremony. Most know Tower Bridge opens to let vessels through, but now we unravel how it really works. Originally it would have had a drawbridge to let ships through and shops existed on the bridge, which caught fire several times before the Great Fire of London. Construction was carried out using the cantilever method, with segments being built outward from two piers, each segment tied to the previous one by high-strength steel tendons. In an effort to reclaim the English… When London declined after the Romans left, the river went back to being a natural border between the Anglo Saxon regions of Mercia and Wessex. We clear the mix up between Tower Bridge and London Bridge, and share facts you probably did not know about the former. Facts about London Bridge 2: the stone arched bridge. The new bridge, wide and spacious was busy at once and even more so when the railways came to London, and London Bridge Station opened just south of London Bridge. It was dismantled in 1967 and relocated to Arizona. For over 600 years this bridge was the key crossing point of the Thames in London, ferrying people, goods and livestock across the river. 1982 - Tower Bridge opened to the public for the first time since 1910 with a permanent exhibition inside called The Tower Bridge Experience. Thirty years later it started to sink.The bridge was sold to an American in 1968 for $2,460,000 who moved it piece by piece to Arizona and had it rebuilt. 1894 - Tower Bridge was opened by the Prince and Princess of Wales with great celebrations, on 30 June. Connecting Chelsea and Battersea, Albert Bridge – named after Prince Albert (husband of Queen Victoria) – is one of the most famous landmarks in West London. The current London Bridge, built between 1968 and 1972, replaced Rennie’s stone arches with beams of prestressed concrete reaching 340 feet (104 metres) in the central span. The Current London Bridge is widest of all its iterations. Its twin towers rise 61 metres (200 feet) above the Thames. There has been a bridge on this site for almost as long as there has been a city of London. It comprises three spans of prestressed-concrete box girders, a total of 283 meters (928 feet) long. Built between 1774 and 1777 as a replacement for a ferry crossing, it is now the oldest surviving Thames bridge in London. Luckin knew that London Bridge might be a tough sell. 1976 - Tower Bridge switches to electrified hydraulics, rather than the steam-driven system it was originally powered by. Facts and History of Tower Bridge in London. 1977 - Tower Bridge was painted red, white and blue to celebrate the Queen's Silver Jubilee. Dan Cruickshank explores the mysteries and secrets of the bridges that have made London what it is. This London Bridge was built out of granite which was quarried on Dartmoor. Between the towers stretch a pair of glass-covered walkways that are popular among tourists. In the year 1209, the London Bridge was demolished and rebuilt by a stone bridge lined with houses and shops next to its side. London Bridge was made of concrete and steel. The London Bridge, to be exact, the name London Bridge, is one of the oldest in London. In 1831, the stone bridge was in turn replaced by a granite bridge, and the granite replaced by the present solid bridge. In 1962, London Bridge was falling down. London Bridge station was opened on 14 December 1836, making it the oldest London railway terminus that is still running. Londoners considered the existing bridge dull by comparison, but after arriving in America, Luckin promoted it as a timeless landmark. Today’s low key London Bridge was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1983 and uses pre-stressed concrete girders. In fact, throughout all these years several bridges had the same name. Work began on the bridge in 1824, and the first stone was laid on 15 June 1825. The history of the London Bridge structure in place today began in 1967 and was opened by Queen Elizabeth II on March 17, 1973. It was not the earliest station in the London metropolitan area, as the London and Greenwich Railway had opened stations at Spa Road (in Bermondsey) and Deptford on 8 February 1836. It replaced various wooden bridges built by the Roman … The "Old" London Bridge of nursery rhyme fame was a stone bridge built by Peter of Colechurch, an architect and priest, between 1176 and 1209. Built between 1176 and 1209, it was the first to be built in stone and masterminded by Peter of Colechurch. The more spectacular Tower Bridge, completed in 1894, is often mistakenly called London Bridge; its iconic shape has come to symbolize London to many visitors. The bridge crosses the River Thames close to the Tower of London and has become a world-famous symbol of London. A close up of the Southwark end of Old London Bridge showing a building called ‘Bridge House’ and the newly styled, ‘Traitor’s Gate’ H owever, during the Elizabethan period, Drawbridge Gate was dismantled and replaced by a spectacular prefabricated building shipped to England from Holland – Nonsuch House, which was built in 1577. The original pumping engines, accumulators and boilers are now on display within Tower Bridge’s Engine Rooms. Today, the bascules are still operated by hydraulic power, but since 1976 they have been driven by oil and electricity rather than steam. This framework was clad in Cornish Granite and Portland Stone to protect the underlying steelwork and to give the Bridge a more pleasing appearance. A huge challenge faced the City of London Corporation - how to build a bridge downstream from London Bridge without disrupting river traffic activities. The bridge was reconstructed at Lake Havasu City, Arizona. It took eight years, five major contractors and the relentless labour of 432 construction workers each day to build Tower Bridge. It is about 240 metres (800 feet) in length and provides an opening 76 metres (250 feet) wide. The bridge was only a box girder. The London Bridge was first built from wood. Several bridges named London Bridge have spanned the River Thames between the City of London and Southwark, in central London. Discover how Tower Bridge works and how it is powered. Over 50 designs were submitted to the Committee for consideration, some of which are on display at Tower Bridge. Discover more of Tower Bridge's history when you see inside Tower Bridge. These bascules were operated by hydraulics, using steam to power the enormous pumping engines. Sketch by Claes Von Visscher of London Bridge c.1616 To say it must’ve been astonishing to London onlookers is something of an understatement. In 1969, M. M. Sundt’s heavy civil construction division was already working in the Lake Havasu area on a project to improve Arizona State Route 95, so the company bid on the London Bridge job, and was successful. Millions of Londoners cross these bridges every week. It goes back to 43 A.D. when the first London Bridge was built. In its now more than 125 years, Tower Bridge has been the location of a number of feats, from a bus jumping its bascules in 1952 to Frank Miller flying a plane through it an year earlier, in 1951. London Bridge is not the one you’re probably thinking of, that’s, © S M / Flickr © Dun.can / Flickr © Michael Jefferies / Flickr, © S M / Flickr | Dun.can / Flickr | Michael Jefferies / Flickr. The five-span reinforced concrete bridge was built entirely on … Sir John Rennie’s London Bridge John Rennie designed the new bridge, but died before it was built, so it was left to his sons, Sir John and George, to carry out his plans. It was a structure of 5 arches, and its overall dimensions were 928 feet long and 49 feet wide. Built between 1886 and 1894, the Bridge has spent more than a century as London's defining landmark, an icon of London and the United Kingdom. The modern bridge has sleek lines and is adorned with red lights. Most of them hardly give it a second thought. The bridge was sold to an American in 1968 for $2,460,000 who moved it piece by piece to Arizona and had it rebuilt. It was crowded, dangerous and smelly. The original colour of the Bridge was a chocolate brown colour. 3. Building work started in 1967 and was completed in 1972. Like the Millennium Bridge, it too had structural problems when it was first built in 1873 and had to undergo a great deal of renovation work. London Bridge is not just a bridge, he announced in a press confere… London Bridge first was only constructed from concrete and steel when it was opened in 1973 for traffic. Tower Bridge is one of five London bridges owned and maintained by the Bridge House Estates, a charitable … Discover the historical events that led to the Bridge's construction, how Tower Bridge was built, and how it lifts the road for river traffic as well as some of the key and quirky events from the Bridge's history. 1952 - The number 78 London bus driven by Albert Gunter on its way across the Bridge, had to leap from one bascule to the other when the Bridge began to rise. Built in 1831, the bridge couldn't handle the ever-increasing flow of traffic across the Thames River. The British government decided to put the bridge up for sale, and Robert McCulloch, Founder of Lake Havasu City, Arizona, and Chairman of McCulloch Oil Corporation, submitted the winning bid of $2,460,000. The first was erected over 2,000 years ago, with successive bridges built by the Romans, William the Conqueror and King John. Built between 1886 and 1894, the Bridge has spent more than a century as London's defining landmark, an icon of London and the United Kingdom. Built by John Rennie the new bridge was opened in 1831 by King William IV but by 1896 it was back to being the most congested place in London, with over 8,000 pedestrians using it per hour. A bridge has existed at or near the present site over the period from the Roman occupation of the area, nearly 2,000 years ago. What next? London Bridge was sold to Robert P McCulloch, a businessman from Missouri (United States). The accumulators fed the driving engines, which drove the bascules up and down. Tower Bridge has a long and fascinating history. Looking to find out more about the Bridge? Thirty years later it started to sink. The energy created was stored in six massive accumulators, meaning that as soon as power was required to lift the Bridge, it was always readily available. History Roman bridge. The first, in 1633, severely damaged the structure and weakened it to some degree. Kingston Bridge It’s a short walk from the Kingston side of Kingston Bridge to the huge park at Hampton Wick. The Great Fire of London was different. The first London Bridge is thought to have been built by the Romans sometime in the first century. Despite the complexity of the system, the bascules only took about a minute to raise to their maximum angle of 86 degrees. We know that William the Conqueror's son, William Rufus (1087-1100) had to rebuild the bridge. A bridge has existed at or near the present site over the period from the Roman occupation of the area, nearly 2,000 years ago. London Bridge Facts. Built by John Rennie the new bridge was opened in 1831 by King William IV but by 1896 it was back to being the most congested place in London, with over 8,000 pedestrians using it per hour. 1910 - The high-level Walkways, which were designed so that the public could still cross the Bridge when it was raised, were closed due to lack of use. There were at least eight great fires in London between 1018 and 1133, and it seems likely that the bridge was affected by some of these. Within the span of just 33 years, London Bridge suffered from a pair of fires. The first few London Bridges were wooden bridges, these were eventualy replaced with a stone bridge, the first one being started in 1176. 1912 - During a stunt, Frank McClean flew between the bascules and the high-level Walkways in his Short seaplane. McCulloch had exterior granite blocks from the original bridge numbered and transported to the United States to construct the present bridge in Lake Havasu Ci… Several parts of the bridge collapsed over the years, leading to the famous nursery rhyme, “London Bridge is Falling Down”. By the 16th century, structures shot up from the bridge seven stories high and crossing it in peak periods could take an hour. The three major iterations of London Bridge … In 1799 the King decided to replace the ancient bridge and hosted a competition for new designs. He then proceeded to followed by fly under at least three other bridges on his way to Westminster. The current London Bridge was designed by architect Lord Holford and engineers Mott, Hay and Anderson. This was preceded by a succession of timber bridges, the first of which was built by the Roman founders of London. As a result, it is sometimes confused with London Bridge, about half a mile upstream. It was constructed by contractors John Mowlem and Co from 1967 to 1972, and opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 17 March 1973. The Arizona bridge is a reinforced concrete structure clad in the original masonry of the 1830s bridge, which was purchased by Robert P. McCulloch from the City of London. Albert Bridge. The first phase - Southwark Bridge, Millennium Bridge, London Bridge and Cannon Street Bridge - was switched on on 17 July 2019. Between Southwark and the City of London on the north shore the river estuary is much shallower so this was a natural place for the Romans to build a bridge to consolidate their new city, Londinium, which was where the City of London is now. Today’s London Bridge, constructed between 1968 and 1972, is a two-pier cantilever structure of pressed concrete. 1886 - The construction of Tower Bridge began on 22 April. A stone bridge was erected in the 12th century – it took 33 years to build and had a chapel dedicated to Thomas Beckett, the Archbishop of Canterbury, placed in the centre. The bridge was officially opened on … Traitors and outlaws’ heads would be put on pikes at either end. 2. The most famous and longstanding of these was the “Old” Medieval bridge, finished in 1209 during the reign of King John. The current crossing, which opened to traffic in 1973, is a box girder bridge built from concrete and steel. It was from here that pilgrims would set off for Canterbury cathedral. The bridge is featured in the traditional nursery rhyme London Bridge is Falling Down. From its construction as a bascule bridge to how its engines are powered, pre and post 1976. https://www.towerbridge.org.uk/discover/history, The day a bus jumped Tower Bridge and more historical feats, Tower Bridge and London Bridge: clearing the mix up. It was a stone arched bridge in 19th century, which replaced the timber bridge. Two massive piers were sunk into the riverbed to support the construction, and over 11,000 tons of steel provided the framework for the Towers and Walkways. Completed in 1831 from a design by engineer John Rennie, it was the less glamorous successor of several other crossings, most notably the medieval London Bridge, which stood for 600 years and was once dotted with buildings and waterwheels. History Edit. The Great Fires of London. Tower Bridge is a combined bascule and suspension bridge in London, built between 1886 and 1894. It replaced a 19th-century stone-arched bridge, which in turn superseded a 600-year-old stone-built medieval structure. Lord Holford designed the current London Bridge. It wasn't until October 1884 however, that Sir Horace Jones, the City Architect, in collaboration with John Wolfe Barry, offered the chosen design for Tower Bridge as a solution. 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