About Tower Bridge
Tower Bridge is the Victorian portal to London, a castle on the water that opens its jaws to let ships pass. With its twin Gothic towers and blue suspension chains, it is often confused with London Bridge, but it is infinitely more spectacular. It is a masterpiece of 19th-century engineering, hiding a steel skeleton beneath a stone skin designed to match the nearby Tower of London.
Satellite views clearly show the double-leaf bascules (the parts that lift) in the center and the suspension bridges on either side connecting to the banks. It is the most downstream bridge in central London, the gateway from the sea. The high-level walkways, once a haunt for pickpockets, connect the tops of the towers, offering dizzying views.
Watching the bridge lift—a "bridge lift"—remains a magical London moment, stopping traffic and silencing the city for a vessel to pass. It represents the industrial might of the Victorian era dressed in fairy-tale robes. Whether crossing it on a double-decker bus or walking the glass floor high above the river, Tower Bridge is the definitive symbol of London's connection to its river.