Tower Bridge Exhibition
Tower Bridge
London
SE1 2UP
T: 020 7403 3761
E: enquiries@towerbridge.org.uk
Visitor Information
Open: 10am-5.30pm daily (Apr-Sept) and 9.30am-5pm daily (Oct-Mar)
What trip to London would be complete without a visit to the spectacular Tower Bridge? It offers fabulous views of London from its high-level walkways and the Tower Bridge Exhibition explains the workings and history of one of the most famous bridges in the world. Here, you can learn about how and why the bridge was built via interactive displays and films, then visit the Engine Rooms, which house the Victorian steam engines that used to power the bridge lifts. Pumping engines, boilers and accumulators still gleam magnificently in their original settings, and working models allow you to explore some of the engineering principles applied in the bridge. Visitors can also experience a virtual bridge lift, providing a unique view of the bridge raising.
Tower Bridge is lifted over 1,000 times a year to let tall ships, cruise liners and other large craft pass through. You can watch the event happen if you time your visit right (call or visit the website to find out when the next lift takes place) – although you certainly won't see anything as dramatic as when, in 1952, bus driver Albert Gunton gave his passengers a scare by jumping the semi-opened bridge on the number 78!
Accessibility
Artsline rate Tower Bridge exhibition as having "wheelchair access to all areas of the building" and "some facilities for visually impaired people." Read more.