Bridge History
Tower Bridge was completed in 1894, after 8 years of construction. However, many people don't realise why it was even built in the first place, or why it is so different from London's other bridges. The information below will fill you in on some of Tower Bridge's fascinating history.

The need for a new bridge
Originally, London Bridge was the only crossing over the Thames. As London grew, so more bridges were added, but these were all to the west of London Bridge, since the area east of London Bridge had become a busy port. In the 19th century, the east end of London became so densely populated that public pressure mounted for a bridge to the east of London Bridge, as journeys for pedestrians and vehicles were being delayed literally by hours.
Finally in 1876, the Corporation of London, who were responsible for that part of the Thames, decided that the problem could be put off no longer.

How a design was chosen
The big problem for the Corporation of London was how to build a bridge downstream from London Bridge without disrupting river traffic activities. To get as many ideas as possible, the "Special Bridge or Subway Committee" was formed in 1876, and opened the design of the new crossing to public competition.
Over 50 designs were put forward for consideration, some of which you can see when you visit the Tower Bridge Exhibition. However, it wasn't until October 1884 that Horace Jones, the City Architect, in collaboration with John Wolfe Barry, offered the chosen design for Tower Bridge as a solution.

The building of the bridge
It took 8 years, 5 major contractors and the relentless labour of 432 construction workers to build Tower Bridge.
Two massive piers had to be sunk into the river bed to support the construction, over 11,000 tons of steel provided the framework for the Towers and Walkways. This was then clad in Cornish granite and Portland stone, both to protect the underlying steelwork and to give the Bridge a more pleasing appea