Tower Bridge London Collection

It took eight years, five major contractors and the labour of 432 construction workers each day to build Tower Bridge. Set on the river Thames the London Tower Bridge is one of the most iconic structures of the old city. When built it was the largest and most sophisticated bascule bridge ever completed ("bascule" comes from the French for "see-saw"). The defining features are two enormous towers connected by two parallel walkways, which were designed so that the public could still cross the bridge when it was raised.. The piers were sunk into the river bed to support the construction and over 11,000 tons of steel provided the framework for the Towers and Walkways. The framework was clad in Cornish granite and Portland stone to protect the underlying steelwork and to give the Bridge a more pleasing appearance.