The Tower Bridge in London by:Betty Alberson
One of the most visited attractions by all who are in London is the Tower Bridge which is a bascule suspension bridge that goes over the Thames river
. It is one of the iconic symbols of the city. When you look at it you can see the suspension portion coming off the land out to the two towers on each side. Then you can see how between the towers there is a part that rises and falls as needed when the large ships move in. The basement of each tower holds the equipment used to move the bascule pivots.The bridge was originally a chocolate brown in color and then it was painted red, white and blue during the Queen's Silver Jubilee in 1977. People often mistake the tower bridge for the London Bridge and was apart of an urban legend when a man named Robert McCulloch thought he was buying the Tower Bridge as the London Bridge and had it moved to Arizona. When the London Bridge arrived he was quite unhappy to discover that it was not the bridge he wanted. He actually wanted the Tower Bridge and didn't realize they weren't one in the same until it was to late.
The Tower Bridge was built between 1886 and finished in 1894. The Prince of Wales, soon to be King Edward VII, and his wife officially opened the bridge to the public. Before the bridge was built there was a subway that went under the river that was the first underground railway in the world built in 1870. The subway was closed after only three months of service leaving the only way to get under the river to the other side was to walk.
There are now five bridges that go across the waters of London and they are all taken care of by the Bridge House Estates which is a charitable trust. The Tower Bridge was originally powered by a hydraulic system. Water was pumped into the accumulators by two stationary steam engines which drove the force pump from its piston tail rod. Visitors can see the original hydraulic system in the museum section of the Bridge. The Tower Bridge is a very busy place these days. It is still a strong way to get across the river on any vehicle. The tourists flock in to see the history and artifacts on display. The locals like to use the bridge as a place for special occasions such as weddings and anniversaries. It really is a spectacular sight to visit and most will find it very interesting to learn about. If you do visit, use http://www.londonhotel.net to find a hotel in the area.
About the author
Having graduated with a Bachelor's in English Literature, and with nothing to do with it, Betty publishes a lot of her work online. For the past two years she had been a freelance writer on the side, and travels for a living. She will sometimes add information from her travels into her writings. More of her articles are located at her website. SpiceJet Airline Tickets by:Alivia Martin How To Find Cheap Air Tickets While Travelling In India Going Abroad? by:Francis Regan Who Built Stonehenge: A Question That Has No Answer by:Gia Loren Hanoi' Sacred Guardians by:David nguyen London's River & Bridges Part 1 Introduction by:Adrian Carpenter Visiting the USA by:Richard Mylar Amanjena: A Wellness Wonder by:Miguel Guedes de Sousa Newcastle Beach Accommodation Online by:Renee Nixon A Dozen Free Things to Do in Northern Arizona by:Mike Finney India Tour - A Sweet Ceaseless Experience Cheap Discount Holidays: Book Your Cheap Holidays With Ease by:John Willims Can I apply for Australian Visitor ETA Visa? by:Dylan Lautner