Bridging the Past: The Story behind Tower Bridge Construction

Built in a Neo-Gothic style with details inspired by Medieval and Tudor architecture, Tower Bridge is one of the most iconic sites in London, but have you ever wondered how it became what it is today?

In the 19th century London faced a tricky situation: how to build a crossing downstream from London bridge without disrupting river traffic activities?

So, in 1876 a committee was formed alongside the launch of a public competition to find a new design for a crossing. Through the public competition over 50 designs were submitted for consideration. It wasn’t until October of 1884 that Sir Horace Jones in collaborations with Sir John Wolfe Barry offered the chosen design for Tower Bridge as the solution.

It took over eight years, five major contractors and constant labour from over 432 construction workers each day to build Tower bridge.

 

* Information has been taken from Towerbridge.org.uk