Tower Bridge

London · engineering marvel · working machine

Two towers, one bridge.. Tower Bridge has two tall stone towers that stand over the River Thames in London. Between them is a special drawbridge that can lift up like a giant seesaw to let boats and ships sail underneath.

Lifts by machinery.. The bridge uses a clever system of steam engines and hydraulics to raise the road sections in the middle. When a ship comes along, operators can lift the bridge in just a few minutes to create space for it to pass.

Looks like a castle.. The bridge was designed to match the nearby Tower of London, so it has fancy towers with turrets and stone decorations. It looks more like a castle than a bridge, which makes it one of the world's most recognizable and beautiful bridges.

Still working today.. Tower Bridge was completed in 1894 and it's still working perfectly. It lifts up and down hundreds of times each year to let ships pass, just like it has for over 100 years.

Three types of bridge.. Tower Bridge is actually three bridges in one: parts of it are suspended by cables, parts are balanced like a seesaw (called a bascule), and parts use cantilever beams for extra support.