Tower Bridge Experience
We all met up at Tower Bridge. We went inside and watched a video of its history. We went upstairs onto the walkway and looked at the Thames! The man that was doing our tour explained that it was built because London was growing and people needed a bridge closer to them. The new one took 8 years to build and 10 people died building it! A man called Horace Jones created the design. It was finally complete in 1894!
The man then talked about a scary sounding place called Dead Mans Hole. It was a place where, in Victorian times if you couldn’t afford a funeral you would drop the person who had died into the Thames and they would wash up at there under Tower Bridge
We found out that the first bridge across the Thames was London Bridge and that it was built by the Romans. The London Bridge that is there now is not the original one as it has been rebuilt several times and one London Bridge is now in Arizona in the USA.
The man also pointed out Jacob’s Island which was where Charles Dickens based Fagin in Oliver Twist!
The bascules of the bridge have lead weights to help them swing more easily. Although the lead makes them weigh more, they feel as if they weigh less! There was a mini-example for us to try! Hydraulics are used to raise and lower the bascules. We also got to see the engine room where there were huge spanners!
The bridge takes 6 minutes to open and close (It used to take only 1 minute and that is why the walkway is no longer needed). They need 24 hours notice for opening it though as the emergency services need to tell the police, ambulance and firemen to use another bridge at that time.
In World War Two a bomb came and hit the wall, bounced through a Tug and landed in the mud in the Thames! All without it exploding!!
In 1976 the bridges steam power system
Was replaced by electric and oil power!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
At lunch time we got to play in the fountains as it was soooo hot! 
By Megan Claridge and Henry Scott