Tower Bridge was officially opened on 30 June 1894 by the Prince and Princess of Wales (the future King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra) and this year marks its 125th anniversary.
In 2019, we invited the public inside to celebrate London’s best-loved landmark through a packed programme of talks, exhibitions and activities for visitors of all ages.
Scroll down to see some highlights from the year of celebrations.
This exhibition, in the Victorian Engine Rooms, centred around a newly commissioned film, ‘Time Bascule’, created by internationally acclaimed artist, inventor and filmmaker Di Mainstone in celebration of the iconic Bridge’s 125th anniversary.
Visitors were invited to discover the song at the heart of the Bridge and experience the – until now – hidden sounds of Tower Bridge in a new immersive exhibition, ‘Making the Bridge Sing’.
In 2019, Guildhall School of Music & Drama returned to the unique setting of the Bridge’s Bascule Chamber for a new site-specific light and sound installation celebrating the Bridge's history.
Created by Guildhall School artists, 'Tower Bridge: 125 Years of London’s Defining Landmark' explored the story of the men and women who built, maintain and operate one of the world’s most iconic structures. Through cutting-edge projection and audio techniques, the installation explored the Bridge’s place in history and popular culture, from its mammoth 8-year construction project starting in 1886 right through to the unforgettable display of the Olympic rings and Paralympic agitos in 2012.
Human stories and iconic moments spanning three centuries - such as the employment of the Bridge’s first female worker in 1895 and the bus that famously jumped the bascules in 1952 - were brought to life through a stirring audio-visual narrative created especially for London’s greatest hidden space, Tower Bridge’s Bascule Chamber.
Explore the history of Tower Bridge through this highly illustrated and meticulously researched hardcover book. Containing insight on the River Thames before the Bridge's existence to the amazing engineering involved in its construction. Hear the stories of the people who maintained and shaped Tower Bridge into the iconic London landmark it is today. Rare archival images and new photography illustrate Tower Bridge in full glory.
Available to purchase from the Tower Bridge shop.
