How was Tower Bridge built?
It took eight years, five major contractors and the relentless labour of 432 construction workers each day to build Tower Bridge under the watchful eye of Sir John Wolfe Barry.
Find out more about the process of building London's defining landmark, and the people who made it a reality.
8 years in the making
It took eight years to build Tower Bridge, from 1886 to 1894. As a complex structure that required specific expertise in its design, construction and maintenance, many steps had to be considered:
- The foundations of the Bridge had to be built into the beds of the River Thames so the Bridge didn't wobble.
- The vast steel structure that forms the skeleton of the Bridge had to be designed and constructed.
- The now famous granite and stone had to be cut and carved.
- The windows needed to be made and fitted.
- The cutting edge hydraulic engines had to be designed, built, tested, modified, and then installed.
- The enormous bascules needed to be put into place.
And all while, the busy, bustling, chock-a-block River Thames remained open for river traffic.
Who built Tower Bridge?
Over 2,000 people were involved in making the many tonnes of stone, brick and steel into the Bridge we know today. This included five major contractors and the relentless labour of 432 construction workers each day. It was a massive team effort.
Architect Horace Jones and engineer Sir John Wolf Barry led the project, and workers came from across the UK and even as far as India.
- Skilled divers dug dangerous foundations in the riverbed, earning the equivalent of £1,000 a minute today.
- Two massive piers were built on the foundations to support the construction.
- Over 11,000 tons of steel provided the framework for the Towers and Walkways.
- Riveting teams installed over 13 million red-hot rivets to build the steel frame.
- Quarrymen, stonemasons, and labourers created the intricate stonework from Cornish Granite and Portland Stone. It was designed to protect the underlying steelwork and to give the Bridge a more pleasing appearance.
Through expert planning and teamwork, they built one of the world's most iconic bridges.
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Discover more about the fascinating history of Tower Bridge, its people and their stories.
For Educators
Educators and learners can delve deeper into the stories of the people who built the Bridge with our drawing and creative writing activity worksheets.
These resources can be used standalone, or alongside one of our virtual workshops:
