A Bridge and Three Towers - Explored!
Tower Bridge (now a Grade I listed structure) was begun in 1886 and took eight years to construct, employing 432 construction workers. Two massive piers, containing over 70,000 tons of concrete were sunk into the riverbed to support the construction. Over 11,000 tons of steel provided the framework for the towers and walkways. This was then clad in Cornish granite and Portland stone, both to protect the underlying steelwork and to give the bridge a pleasing appearance. The original designer, Horace Jones, died in 1887 and George D Stevenson took over the project, replacing Jones' original brick facade with the more ornate Victorian Gothic style, which makes the bridge a distinctive landmark, and was intended to harmonise the bridge with the nearby Tower of London. It is designated as a Grade I listed structure. A brightly-coloured double-decker tourist bus can be seen crossing the bridge in the image above.
Slightly to the left of the centre of the bridge, and some 4.75 km beyond it is the distinctive tower now known as the BT Tower. It was commissioned by what was then the General Post Office (GPO) and construction began in 1961 and it was completed in 1964.
Its main concrete structure is 177m high, with a further section of aerial rigging bringing the total height to 189m. Its primary purpose was to support the microwave aerials then used to carry telecommunications traffic from London to the rest of the country, as part of the GPO microwave network.
The structure was required to protect the radio links' "line of sight" against some of the tall buildings in London then in the planning stage. These links were routed via other GPO microwave stations at Harrow Weald, Bagshot, Kelvedon Hatch and Fairseat, and to places like the London Air Traffic Control Centre then at West Drayton.
Initially, the first 16 floors were for technical equipment and power. Above that was a 35m section for the microwave aerials, and above that were six floors of suites, kitchens, technical equipment, a revolving restaurant, and finally a cantilevered steel lattice tower. The construction cost was £2.5 million.
Due to its importance to the national communications network, information about the tower was once upon a time designated an official secret. Microwaves have now been replaced by fibre-optics and the deteriorating antennae associated with the microwave transmissions and reception have been removed for safety reasons. The tower was given Grade II listed building status in 2003.
The much smaller twin towers just to the left of the BT Tower above are all that remain of the original Cannon Street Railway Station which was opened in 1866. The 37m-high brick structures were given Grade II status in 1973.
A Bridge and Three Towers - Explored!
Tower Bridge (now a Grade I listed structure) was begun in 1886 and took eight years to construct, employing 432 construction workers. Two massive piers, containing over 70,000 tons of concrete were sunk into the riverbed to support the construction. Over 11,000 tons of steel provided the framework for the towers and walkways. This was then clad in Cornish granite and Portland stone, both to protect the underlying steelwork and to give the bridge a pleasing appearance. The original designer, Horace Jones, died in 1887 and George D Stevenson took over the project, replacing Jones' original brick facade with the more ornate Victorian Gothic style, which makes the bridge a distinctive landmark, and was intended to harmonise the bridge with the nearby Tower of London. It is designated as a Grade I listed structure. A brightly-coloured double-decker tourist bus can be seen crossing the bridge in the image above.
Slightly to the left of the centre of the bridge, and some 4.75 km beyond it is the distinctive tower now known as the BT Tower. It was commissioned by what was then the General Post Office (GPO) and construction began in 1961 and it was completed in 1964.
Its main concrete structure is 177m high, with a further section of aerial rigging bringing the total height to 189m. Its primary purpose was to support the microwave aerials then used to carry telecommunications traffic from London to the rest of the country, as part of the GPO microwave network.
The structure was required to protect the radio links' "line of sight" against some of the tall buildings in London then in the planning stage. These links were routed via other GPO microwave stations at Harrow Weald, Bagshot, Kelvedon Hatch and Fairseat, and to places like the London Air Traffic Control Centre then at West Drayton.
Initially, the first 16 floors were for technical equipment and power. Above that was a 35m section for the microwave aerials, and above that were six floors of suites, kitchens, technical equipment, a revolving restaurant, and finally a cantilevered steel lattice tower. The construction cost was £2.5 million.
Due to its importance to the national communications network, information about the tower was once upon a time designated an official secret. Microwaves have now been replaced by fibre-optics and the deteriorating antennae associated with the microwave transmissions and reception have been removed for safety reasons. The tower was given Grade II listed building status in 2003.
The much smaller twin towers just to the left of the BT Tower above are all that remain of the original Cannon Street Railway Station which was opened in 1866. The 37m-high brick structures were given Grade II status in 1973.