64-644: The Bridge Theatre is a commercial theatre near Tower Bridge in London that opened in October 2017. It was developed by Nick Starr and Nicholas Hytner as the home of the London Theatre Company, which they founded following their tenancy as executive director and artistic director, respectively, at the National Theatre . The theatre seats 900 and is a flexible space to accommodate each production. For example,
128-468: A more abiding and historic interest" than the opening of Tower Bridge in the history of the City of London, and it was a "semi-State" occasion. In addition to the official opening, the City of London Corporation gave an "entertainment", at a cost of £300, to 1,200 workmen and their wives. Edward Cruttwell, who had been in charge of the building of the bridge from the beginning, presided. After dinner, each workman
192-453: A persistent urban legend about an American purchasing the wrong bridge . By the late 19th century, the population and commercial development in the East End of London was increasing, leading to demand for a new river crossing downstream of London Bridge . A traditional fixed bridge at street level could not be built because it would cut off access by sailing ships to the port facilities in
256-521: A result of the Princess Alice disaster , extensive sewage treatment facilities were built to replace the balancing tanks in Beckton and Crossness in 1900. The basic premise of this expensive project, that miasma spread cholera infection, was wrong. However, the new sewer system's unintended consequence was removing the causal bacterium from the water supply, thereby eliminating cholera in areas served by
320-536: A result, eliminate cholera epidemics . At that time, the River Thames was little more than an open sewer, empty of any fish or other wildlife, and an apparent public health hazard to Londoners. Bazalgette's solution (similar to a proposal made by painter John Martin 25 years earlier) was to construct a network of 82 miles (132 km) of enclosed underground brick main sewers to intercept sewage outflows, and 1,100 miles (1,800 km) of street sewers , to divert
384-699: A result. Thames Water holds the records in large blue binders gold-blocked reading "Metropolitan Board of Works" and then dated, usually two per year. Scion of a Huguenot family , Bazalgette was brought up at 17 Hamilton Terrace, St John's Wood in North West London . In 1845, he moved to Morden , then in 1873 to Arthur Road, Wimbledon , where he died in 1891. He was buried at nearby St Mary's Church , London SW18 . Married in 1845, at Westminster , to Maria Keogh (1819–1902), daughter of Edward Keogh, JP (Ireland), Sir Joseph and Lady Bazalgette had eleven children including: Knighted in 1875, Bazalgette
448-417: A skeleton of steelwork, covered with a facing of granite and Portland stone, backed with brickwork on the inside faces." An octagonal steel column stands at each corner of each tower (119 feet 6 inches long). The smaller abutment towers were "generally similar...though on a smaller scale." "The total length of the bridge, including the abutments, is 940 feet, and the length of the approaches are 1,260 feet on
512-461: A third engine was installed in case the existing ones were damaged by enemy action. It was a 150 hp horizontal cross-compound engine, built by Vickers Armstrong Ltd. at their Elswick works in Newcastle upon Tyne. It was fitted with a flywheel having a 9-foot (2.7 m) diameter and weighing 9 tons, and was governed to a speed of 30 rpm. The engine became redundant when the rest of the system
576-462: A very heavy weight to maintain the desired pressure. The entire hydraulic system along with the gas lighting system was installed by William Sugg & Co Ltd . The gas lighting was initially by open-flame burners within the lanterns, but was soon updated to the later incandescent system. In 1974, the original operating mechanism was largely replaced by a new electro-hydraulic drive system, designed by BHA Cromwell House. The only remaining parts of
640-477: Is 940 feet (290 m) in length including the abutments and consists of two 213-foot (65 m) bridge towers connected at the upper level by two horizontal walkways, and a central pair of bascules that can open to allow shipping. Originally hydraulically powered , the operating mechanism was converted to an electro-hydraulic system in 1972. The bridge is part of the London Inner Ring Road and thus
704-651: The City Bridge Foundation , a charitable trust founded in 1282. The bridge was constructed to connect the 39 per cent of London's population that lived east of London Bridge, equivalent to the populations of "Manchester on the one side, and Liverpool on the other", while allowing shipping to access the Pool of London between the Tower of London and London Bridge . The bridge was opened by Edward, Prince of Wales , and Alexandra, Princess of Wales , on 30 June 1894. The bridge
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#1732854780998768-664: The London Olympics , the west walkway was transformed into a 200-foot-long (61 m) Live Music Sculpture by the British composer Samuel Bordoli. 30 classical musicians were arranged along the length of the bridge 138 feet (42 m) above the Thames behind the Olympic rings. The sound travelled backward and forwards along the walkway, echoing the structure of the bridge. Following the Olympics,
832-562: The Pool of London between London Bridge and the Tower of London . A Special Bridge or Subway Committee chaired by Sir Albert Joseph Altman was formed in December 1875 to find a solution. On 7 December 1876, the Committee presented a report recommending a bridge or subway to the east of London Bridge should be constructed, funds permitting. More than fifty designs were submitted, including one from civil engineer Sir Joseph Bazalgette , which
896-503: The Second World War , Tower Bridge was seen as a major transport link to the Port of London , and consequently was a target for enemy action. In 1940, the high-level span took a direct hit, severing the hydraulic mechanism and taking the bridge out of action. In April 1941, a parachute mine exploded close to the bridge, causing serious damage to the bascule, towers, and engine room. In 1942,
960-479: The Tay Bridge Disaster . The system was designed and installed by Hamilton Owen Rendel while working for Armstrong, Mitchell and Company of Newcastle upon Tyne . Water at a pressure of 750 psi (5.2 MPa) was pumped into the accumulators by a pair of stationary steam engines . Each drove a force pump from its piston tail rod. The accumulators each comprise a 20-inch (51 cm) ram which sits
1024-500: The foundation stone laid by the Prince of Wales on 21 June, and took eight years. The work was divided into eight contracts. Mr (later Sir) John Jackson won three of those contracts and was responsible for the northern approach to the bridge (which started in February 1887), the foundations of the piers and the abutments of the bridge (started February 1887), and the cast iron parapet for
1088-606: The Bridge Master. Some of the control mechanism for the signalling equipment has been preserved and is housed in the Tower Bridge's museum. During the first twelve months after the opening of the bridge, the average stoppage of road traffic at each bridge lift was six minutes. The average number of vehicles crossing the bridge daily was about 8,000. Joseph Bazalgette Sir Joseph William Bazalgette CB ( / ˈ b æ z əl dʒ ɛ t / ; 28 March 1819 – 15 March 1891)
1152-541: The Court of Common Council for a mechanical bridge built according to one of three models: Design A, a swing bridge ; Design B, a variation of that swing bridge; and Design C a bascule bridge . Design C was recommended and a bill was prepared to present to Parliament. The Act of Parliament authorising construction received royal assent on 14 August 1885 and is called the Corporation of London (Tower Bridge) Act 1885. The Act
1216-516: The MBW was abolished and replaced by London County Council in 1889). In 1858, the year of the Great Stink , Parliament passed an Enabling Act , despite the colossal expense of the project, and Bazalgette's proposals to revolutionise London's sewerage system began to be implemented. The expectation was that enclosed sewers would eliminate the stink ('miasma') that was thought to be the cause of cholera and, as
1280-526: The Tower Bridge Exhibition opened, housed in the bridge's twin towers, the long-closed high-level walkways, and the Victorian engine rooms. The latter still houses the original steam engines and some of the original hydraulic machinery . The bridge closed for a month in 2000 to repair the bascules and perform other maintenance. A computer system was installed to control the raising and lowering of
1344-616: The Tower [of London]...shall at all times have...the right to occupy the Tower Bridge." The extent of the maritime trade conducted at this time between the site of Tower Bridge and London Bridge (a distance of approximately 0.5 miles) is demonstrated in Schedule B of the Act which lists 11 active docks , quays and wharfs operating on the north side of the Thames, and 20 wharfs operating on the south side. Two further Acts of Parliament were required to extend
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#17328547809981408-448: The bascules remotely. However, the system proved unreliable, resulting in the bridge being stuck in the open or closed positions on several occasions during 2005 until its sensors were replaced. In April 2008, authorities announced that the bridge would undergo a £4 million refurbishment that would take four years to complete. The work entailed stripping existing paint down to bare metal and repainting in blue and white. Before this,
1472-482: The boundary of the London congestion charge zone, and remains an important traffic route with 40,000 crossings every day. The bridge deck is freely accessible to both vehicles and pedestrians, whereas the bridge's twin towers, high-level walkways, and Victorian engine rooms form part of the Tower Bridge Exhibition. Tower Bridge has become a recognisable London landmark. It is sometimes confused with London Bridge , about 0.5 miles (800 m) upstream, which has led to
1536-458: The bridge piers. At night, coloured lights were used, in either direction, on both of the piers: two red lights to show that the bridge was closed, and two green to show that it was open. In foggy weather, a gong was sounded as well. Vessels passing through the bridge were required to display signals. By day, a black ball at least 2 feet (0.61 m) in diameter was mounted high up where it could be seen. Night passage called for two red lights in
1600-541: The bridge was opened, the Tower Subway – 0.25 mi (400 m) to the west – was the shortest way to cross the river from Tower Hill to Tooley Street in Southwark . Opened in 1870, Tower Subway was among the world's earliest underground ("tube") railways, but it closed after just three months and was reopened as a tolled pedestrian foot tunnel. Once Tower Bridge was open, the majority of foot traffic transferred to using
1664-532: The bridge's colour scheme dated from 1977, when it was painted red, white, and blue for Queen Elizabeth II 's Silver Jubilee . Its colours were subsequently restored to blue and white. Each section was enshrouded in scaffolding and plastic sheeting to prevent the old paint falling into the Thames and causing pollution. Starting in mid-2008, contractors worked on a quarter of the bridge at a time to minimise disruption, but some road closures were inevitable. The completed work should stand for 25 years. The renovation of
1728-420: The bridge, as there was no toll to cross. Having lost most of its income, the tunnel was closed in 1898. The high-level open-air walkways between the towers gained a reputation for prostitutes and pickpockets . Since they were only accessible by stairs, the walkways were seldom used by regular pedestrians and were closed in 1910. The walkway reopened in 1982 as part of the Tower Bridge Exhibition. During
1792-484: The construction. The first caisson was started in September 1886 and it was not until January 1890 that both piers were complete. The reason for the long duration of the foundation works was the need to defer excavation of the second pier until the staging for the first pier had been removed to allow 160 feet of clear water-way for shipping. More than 11,000 long tons (12,320 short tons; 11,177 t) of steel were used in
1856-454: The face of each pier. The bascules, weighing about 1,070 tons each including ballast and paving, are counterbalanced to minimise the force required and allow raising in five minutes and have an arc of rotation of 82° with the centre of the arc, or pivot point, being 13 feet 3 inches inside the face of each pier and 5 feet 7 inches beneath the surface of the roadway. The two side spans are suspension bridges, each 270 feet (82 m) long, with
1920-458: The framework for the towers and walkways, which were then clad in Cornish granite and Portland stone to protect the underlying steelwork, and achieve the stipulation that the bridge should fit architecturally with the Tower of London. Jones died in 1887, and Barry took over as architect. Barry later summarised the contributions to the construction of Tower Bridge: "Mr Fyson, who undertook much of
1984-436: The judges). Jones and Barry designed a bridge with two bridge towers built on piers. The central span was split into two equal bascules or leaves, which could be raised to allow river traffic to pass. The two side spans were suspension bridges, with rods anchored both at the abutments and through rods contained in the bridge's upper walkways. Construction - overseen by Edward Cruttwell - started on 22 April 1886, with
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2048-419: The masonry superstructure (May 1889), and paving and lighting (May 1892) for a total accepted tender of £179,455. The total accepted tender for the eight contracts was £830,005. On average 432 people worked on the site, although at least 1,200 worked on its construction overall and received invitations to the entertainment provided for the workmen at its opening. Cruttwell was the resident engineer throughout
2112-637: The nearby Tower of London. The total cost of construction was £1,184,000 (equivalent to £170 million in 2023). Tower Bridge was officially opened on 30 June 1894 by the Prince and Princess of Wales . The opening ceremony was attended by the Lord Chamberlain , the Lord Carrington and the Home Secretary , H. H. Asquith . It was reported that "few [pageants] have been more brilliant or will have
2176-556: The north and south sides of the Thames, called the Northern and Southern Outfall Sewers . The sewage from the Outfall Sewers was originally collected in balancing tanks in Beckton and Crossness , then dumped, untreated, into the Thames at high tide. The system was opened by Edward, Prince of Wales in 1865, although the whole project was not completed for another ten years. Partly as
2240-442: The north side, and 780 feet on the south side. The width of the bridge and approaches between the parapets is 60 feet, except across the opening span where it is 49 feet. The steepest gradients are 1 in 60 on the north side, and 1 in 40 on the south side." The central span of 200 feet (61 m) between the towers is split into two equal bascules, or leaves, which project 100 feet out each and extend backwards 62 feet 6 inches within
2304-501: The northern approach (December 1887) at a total accepted tender cost of £189,732; Sir W. G. Armstrong, Mitchell, and Co. Ltd , was awarded the hydraulics contract for which they tendered £85,232 (December 1887); Mr William Webster was responsible for the southern approach at £38,383 (July 1888); Sir William Arrol & Co. had the contract for the metalwork of the superstructure at £337,113 (May 1889), which amounted to about 12,100 tons; Messrs Perry & Co won two contracts covering
2368-559: The noted engineer Sir John Macneill , working on railway projects, and amassed sufficient experience (partly in China and Ireland) in land drainage and reclamation to enable him to set up his own London consulting practice in 1842. In 1845 the house in Hamilton Terrace was sold and Joseph married Maria Keogh, from County Kilkenny in Ireland . At the time he was working so hard on expanding
2432-413: The old system are the final pinions, which fit into the racks on the bascules and were driven by hydraulic motors and gearing. Oil is now used in place of water as the new hydraulic fluid . Originally, river traffic passing beneath the bridge was required to follow several rules and signals. Daytime control was provided by red semaphore signals , mounted on small control cabins on either end of both of
2496-414: The opening production, Young Marx , featured a traditional proscenium arrangement, Julius Caesar (2018), A Midsummer Night's Dream (2019) and Guys and Dolls (2023-25) had the stalls seating removed with the audience standing around moving and raising platforms offering an in-the-round immersive experience in promenade and Nightfall (2018) was performed on a thrust stage. It was reported that
2560-408: The period of construction (and remained associated with the bridge until his death in 1933). He noted that there were "only" ten fatal accidents during the construction: four in sinking the foundations, one on the approaches, and the remaining five on the superstructure. Two piers, containing over 70,000 long tons (78,400 short tons; 71,123 t) of concrete, were sunk into the riverbed to support
2624-468: The preparation of the detailed drawings; Mr Stevenson, who had been his assistant with the architectural work; and...most of all...Mr Cruttwell, the Resident Engineer, and Mr Homfray, who superintended the machinery." Stevenson replaced Jones's original brick façade with the more ornate Victorian Gothic style, which made the bridge a distinctive landmark and was intended to harmonise the bridge with
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2688-684: The railway network that two years later, in 1847, he suffered a nervous breakdown. In 1847, while he was recovering, London's Metropolitan Commission of Sewers ordered that all cesspits should be closed and that house drains should connect to sewers and empty into the Thames. A cholera epidemic ensued, killing 14,137 Londoners in 1849. Bazalgette was appointed Assistant Surveyor to the Metropolitan Commission in 1849, taking over as Engineer in 1852 after his predecessor died of "harassing fatigues and anxieties." Soon after, another cholera epidemic struck in 1853, killing 10,738. Medical opinion at
2752-659: The raw sewage which flowed freely through the streets and thoroughfares of London to the river. The plan included major pumping stations at Deptford (1864) and at Crossness (1865) on the Erith marshes , both on the south side of the Thames and at Abbey Mills (in the River Lea valley , 1868) and on the Chelsea Embankment (close to Grosvenor Bridge ; 1875), north of the river. The outflows were diverted downstream, where they were collected in two large sewage outfall systems on
2816-464: The rings were removed from Tower Bridge and replaced by the emblem of the Paralympic Games for the 2012 Summer Paralympics . In 2016, Tower Bridge was closed to all road traffic from 1 October to 30 December. This was to allow structural maintenance work to take place on the timber decking, lifting mechanism and waterproofing the brick arches on the bridge's approaches. During this, the bridge
2880-454: The same position. Foggy weather required repeated blasts from the ship's steam whistle . If a black ball was suspended from the middle of each walkway (or a red light at night) this indicated that the bridge could not be opened. These signals were repeated about 1,000 yards (910 m) downstream, at Cherry Garden Pier , where boats needing to pass through the bridge had to hoist their signals/lights and sound their horn, as appropriate, to alert
2944-644: The sewers. Instead of the incorrect premise causing the project to fail, the new sewers mostly eliminated cholera, and also decreased the incidence of typhus and typhoid epidemics. Bazalgette's capacity for hard work was remarkable; every connection to the sewerage system by the various Vestry Councils had to be checked, and Bazalgette did this himself, and the records contain thousands of linen plans with handwritten comments in Indian ink on them "Approved JWB", "I do not like 6 " used here and 9 " should be used. JWB", and so on. Unsurprisingly, his health suffered as
3008-522: The son of Joseph William Bazalgette (1783–1849), a retired Royal Navy captain , and Theresa Philo née Pilton (1796–1850). His grandfather, Louis Bazalgette, a tailor and financier, was a Huguenot immigrant who developed ties to the future George IV and subsequently became wealthy. In 1827, when Joseph was eight years old, the family moved into a newly built house in Hamilton Terrace , St John's Wood , London. He spent his early career articled to
3072-414: The suspension rods anchored both at the abutments and through rods contained within the bridge's upper walkways. The pedestrian walkways are 143 feet (44 m) above the river at high tide and accessed by lifts and staircases. These walkways were designed as cantilever bridges for a distance from each tower of 55 feet, with girders bridging the 120 feet between the ends of the cantilevers. The structure
3136-493: The theatre cost £12 million to build. Tower Bridge Tower Bridge is a Grade I listed combined bascule , suspension , and, until 1960, cantilever bridge in London , built between 1886 and 1894, designed by Horace Jones and engineered by John Wolfe Barry with the help of Henry Marc Brunel . It crosses the River Thames close to the Tower of London and is one of five London bridges owned and maintained by
3200-459: The time allowed to complete the works. On 12 August 1889 the Corporation of London (Tower Bridge) Act 1889 received royal assent to extend the time allowed for construction by a further four years to 1893 and make various adjustments to neighbouring streets that had proved necessary. The work was not yet complete after those four years, and on 29 June 1893 the Corporation of London (Tower Bridge) Extension of Time Act 1893 received royal assent extending
3264-517: The time by a further year. Construction was funded by the City Bridge Foundation , a charity established in 1282 for maintenance of London Bridge that subsequently expanded to cover Tower Bridge, Blackfriars Bridge , Southwark Bridge and the Millennium Bridge . Sir John Wolfe Barry was appointed engineer and Sir Horace Jones the architect (who, as the City Architect, was also one of
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#17328547809983328-581: The time held that cholera was caused by foul air: a so-called miasma . Physician John Snow had earlier advanced a different explanation, which is now known to be correct: cholera was spread by contaminated water, but his view was not then generally accepted. Championed by fellow engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel , Bazalgette was promoted Chief Engineer of the Commission's successor, the Metropolitan Board of Works , in 1856 (a post which he retained until
3392-473: The two main towers were converted from being cantilever bridges , projecting horizontally out into space, to suspension bridges when suspension cables were added. This was to reinforce the strength of the walkways. In 1974, the original operating mechanism was largely replaced by a new electro-hydraulic drive system, designed by Geoffrey Beresford Hartwell, of BHA Cromwell House, with the original final pinions driven by modern hydraulic motors . In 1982,
3456-471: The walkway interior was completed in mid-2009. The renovation of the four suspension chains was completed in March 2010 using a state-of-the-art coating system requiring up to six different layers of paint. A lighting system based on RGB LED luminaires was installed, concealed within the bridge superstructure, and attached without drilling holes, owing to the bridge's Grade I listing. On 8 July 2012, as part of
3520-435: Was an English civil engineer . As Chief Engineer of London's Metropolitan Board of Works , his major achievement was the creation of a sewerage system for central London , in response to the Great Stink of 1858, which was instrumental in relieving the city of cholera epidemics, while beginning to clean the River Thames . He later designed Hammersmith Bridge . Bazalgette was born at Hill Lodge, Clay Hill , Enfield ,
3584-519: Was at this point in 1885 that John Wolfe Barry partnered with Jones and developed the concept of the "level soffit for the upper bridge" which allowed the design to proceed as it stands today. Unusually, Tower Bridge was designed to include three types of bridge: the two spans from the shore to the piers are a suspension bridge; the central, opening span is a bascule bridge; and the high level walkways were cantilever bridges until converted to suspension bridges in 1960. The main towers "consist of
3648-464: Was designed to withstand wind pressures of 56 lb per square foot ( 2.7 kPa), a design constraint introduced following the Tay Bridge disaster which had occurred just 15 years before the opening of Tower Bridge. There is a chimney on the bridge that is painted to look like a lamppost. It was connected to a fireplace in a guardroom located in one of the bridge piers. The original raising mechanism
3712-699: Was elected President of the Institution of Civil Engineers in 1883. A Greater London Council blue plaque commemorates him at 17 Hamilton Terrace in St John's Wood in North London, as well as a formal monument on the Victoria Embankment by the River Thames in central London. In July 2020, the City of London Corporation announced that a new public space west of Blackfriars Bridge , formed following construction of
3776-546: Was modernised in 1974 and was donated to the Forncett Industrial Steam Museum by the City of London Corporation . The southern section of the bridge, in the London Borough of Southwark , was Grade I listed on 6 December 1949. The remainder of the bridge, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets , was listed on 27 September 1973. In 1960, the upper bridges of the two pedestrian walkways that connected
3840-512: Was powered by pressurised water stored in six hydraulic accumulators . There were then two pairs of engines on each pier. Each pair consisted of a larger engine 8 ½ inches in diameter and a smaller one at 7 ½ inches. All eight engines had three cylinders. The reason for two pairs of engines on each pier was to build in redundancy. The machinery was "equal to twice the requirements of the Board of Trade", already very rigorous standards established following
3904-480: Was presented with a commemorative pipe and packet of tobacco, and each workman's wife with a box of sweetmeats. An Act of Parliament stipulated that a tug boat should be on station to assist vessels in danger when crossing the bridge, a requirement that remained in place until the 1960s. The bridge connected Iron Gate, on the north bank of the river, with Horselydown Lane, on the south – now known as Tower Bridge Approach and Tower Bridge Road , respectively. Until
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#17328547809983968-482: Was rejected because of a lack of sufficient headroom. None of the designs gained support and it was not until 24 July 1884 that the Bridge House Estates Committee brought forward a report that proposed "a low level bridge, with mechanical opening or openings" be built. Following a deputation from the Committee visiting Belgium, Holland, and Newcastle Bridge, a proposal was presented on 28 October 1884 to
4032-437: Was specific about the design of what it (and contemporary media) named "The Tower Bridge", rather than just "Tower Bridge". Key stipulations were: Barry later noted that "at one time it was intended that the new works should be made suitable for the mounting of guns and for military occupation." But that "The latter idea was afterwards to a great extent discarded." However, the Act provided for "the senior officer commanding in
4096-431: Was still open to waterborne traffic. It was open to pedestrians for all but three weekends when a free ferry service was in operation. The structure was originally designed by Horace Jones but his design had an arch instead of the current high-level footways. Concerns about ships' masts and rigging hitting the arch meant that his design faced objections and Jones "began to think that the arched form must be given up". It
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