Tower BridgeIn 1894, the Tower Bridge across the River Thames in London was officially opened by the Prince of Wales. A procession of vessels passed under the bridge. In 1878, City architect Horace Jones proposed a new bridge was needed to improve city traffic. It was approved by Act of Parliament in 1885 and the foundation stone was laid 21 Jun 1886. Including approaches, the bridge is a half-mile long, having a roadway 35-ft wide flanked by footways 12.5 ft wide. From their foundations, the towers rise 293-ft, giving 140-ft clearance for ships beneath the central span which carries two footways. The roadway is a bascule (drawbridge), opening at the centre to permit ship traffic on the Thames. The piers also house the bascule-lifting machinery and their counterweights.«[Image: detail from The Opening of Tower Bridge by William Lionel Wyllie, oil on canvas, 1894.] |
