Tower Bridge, London, 1886-1894. Architect: Horace Jones, John Wolfe Barry
Tower Bridge is one of the worldÆs most famous bridges. 150,000 vehicles cross it every day. Over 900 times a year the roadway parts and lifts to let tall ships, cruise liners and other large craft pass through. When it was built, Tower Bridge was the largest and most sophisticated bascule bridge ever built (bascule comes from the French for see-saw). It was a hydraulically operated bridge, using steam to power the enormous pumping engines. The energy created was then stored in six massive accumulators so that, as soon as power was required to lift the bridge, it was readily available. The accumulators fed the driving engines, which drove the bascules up and down. Despite the complexity of the system, the bascules only took about a minute to raise to their maximum 86 degrees. All steel for the Tower Bridge came from Scotland. It was erected by Sir William Arrol and Co. of Glasgow, who also were the contractors for the Forth Bridge. A firm from Paisley did much of the ornamental ironwork. Nowadays, the bascules are still operated by hydraulic power, but since 1976 they have been driven by oil and electricity rather than steam. The original pumping engines, accumulators and boilers are on show as part of The Tower Bridge Experience, and you can also see the current machinery and control cabins when you come on a Behind The Scenes Tour. Tower Bridge is owned, funded and managed by the Corporation of London
Size: 3698px × 2930px
Location: United Kingdom
Photo credit: © Benedict Luxmoore / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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