Tower Bridge

Tower Bridge was the famous largest and most sophisticated bascule bridge ever built ("bascule" comes from the French for "see-saw") across the River Thames in the heart of London. The high level walkways were built to allow people to cross the Thames whilst the Bridge was lifted to let tall ships come through. It was a hydraulically operated bridge, using steam to power the enormous pumping engines. The energy created was then stored in six massive accumulators so that, as soon as power was required to lift the Bridge, it was readily available. The accumulators fed the driving engines, which drove the bascules up and down. The Tower Bridge is perhaps the most famous bascule bridge in the world, and its working from the day it was first opened to the present has been perfect, far exceeding the hopes even of its most enthusiastic advocates. An Act of Parliament empowering the Corporation of the City of London to build the bridge was passed in 1885. Tower Bridge is sometimes mistakenly referred to as London Bridge, which is actually the next bridge upstream.