Tower Bridge

Tower Bridge, one of the London’s most famous landmarks, is a bascule and suspension bridge on River Thames. It is a drawbridge built between 1886 and 1894. The bridge crosses the river Thames near the Tower of London from which it takes its name. It has two towers in Victorian Gothic style. The bridge deck is freely accessible to both vehicles and pedestrians, while the bridge's twin towers, high-level walkways, and Victorian engine rooms are part of the Tower Bridge Exhibition, for which there is an admission fee. When the bridge was built, machines that lift bascules were hydraulic steam machines, but in 1974 electro-hydraulic drive system replaced them. Some of the old steam machines are a tourist attraction. The bascule bridge was controlled manually until 2000 when engineers installed a computer control system so that bascules could be raised and lowered remotely. Bascules are raised 3 times a day and a 24 hours' notice is needed from ships that need to pass. There is no charge for vessels to open the bridge.

ROSARIO MARCHISCIANA