The Tower Bridge

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We ended our sightseeing at the Tower Bridge. We had tickets to the Tower Bridge Exhibition, which not only gives you access to the suspension walkways between the two bridge towers, but also to the original steam works that raised and lowered the bridge back in the Victorian era.

If you've read my previous blogs, you've seen a number of photos of the Tower Bridge. It's an iconic London site, so it's difficult not to snap pics at every opportunity. Plus, it's a pretty bridge. Being able to go up inside of it was a fun experience, although being stuffed like sardines into a hot, slow-moving elevator was definitely not enjoyable.

I snapped this panorama as we walked from The Tower of London to the Tower Bridge.

Another shot of the opposite bank as we started across the bridge. Access to the exhibit was in the first bridge tower.

 A shot of the first bridge tower.

 A feature of the suspended walkway are clear floor panels. As you can see near the top of the shot, people thought it would be a good idea to sit on the panels and hang out.  So rude.

I did take a few steps on the glass when absolutely necessary. But I did so reluctantly and I didn't like it one bit. It's funny because I knew full well the panel could easily hold my weight. But I really had to force myself to step out on it.

 A shot of one of the support pillars.


 There's The Shard, again, as well as HMS Belfast. On the opposite bank on the far right is the Walkie Talkie, and further up the river you can see the dome to St. Paul's Cathedral.

 We took the stairs down in the other tower.


 Making our way to the engine room exhibit at the far end.

 One of the boilers that produced the steam to run the engines. I was highly amused because I know how this thing works. I studied the design for one of my earlier dissertation chapters. It's a Lancashire boiler. Those circular doors lead to tubes that are fed with hot coal - as mocked up in the open door on the right. The rest of the unit is filled with water. The heat from the tubes boils the water and the resulting steam is used to run the engines.



 The bridge from the other side.

A rather fitting final shot that typifies London: A hodgepodge of old and new.

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