Episode 162: Building Tower Bridge

Host: Hazel Baker

Hazel is an active Londoner, a keen theatre-goer and qualified  CIGA London tour guide.

She has won awards for tour guiding and is proud to be involved with some great organisations. She is a freeman of the Worshipful Company of Marketors and am an honorary member of The Leaders Council.

Channel 4: The Orient Express: A Golden Era of Travel (Episode 1). Channel 5’s Walking Wartime Britain(Episode 3) and Yesterday Channel’s The Architecture the Railways Built (Series 3, Episode 7). Het Rampjaar 1672, Afl. 2: Vijand Engeland and Arte.fr Invitation au Voyage, À Chelsea, une femme qui trompe énormément. Yesterday Channel / UKTV Play: The Architecture the Railways Built (Series 3, Episode 7). Yesterday Channel / UKTV Play: Secrets of the London Underground (Series 3, Episode 2) and Secrets of the London Underground (Series 4, Episode 10). NPO (Netherlands): Het Rampjaar 1672 – Afl. 2: Vijand Engeland. Arte France: Invitation au Voyage – À Chelsea, une femme qui trompe énormément

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction to Tower Bridge

01:00 Why London Needed a New Thames Crossing

03:00 The Engineering Challenge

05:00 Early Designs and Political Battles

06:00 Choosing the Bascule Design

06:30 Horace Jones and John Wolfe Barry

08:00 The Tower Bridge Act of 1885

09:15 Delays and Construction Planning

10:00 Building the Foundations

12:00 The Six Divers of Tower Bridge

14:00 Building the Steel Structure

16:00 The Hydraulic Mechanism

18:00 Victorian Engineering and Safety

19:15 Operating Tower Bridge

20:00 Costs, Delays, and Budget Overruns

21:15 Deaths and Dangers During Construction

22:00 Legal Disputes on the Thames

24:15 How Construction Changed the River

24:45 Critics Versus the Public

27:30 The Grand Opening of 1894

28:15 Honouring the Workforce

29:00 The Legacy of Tower Bridge

29:45 Closing Thoughts and Further Listening 

From Transport Crisis to Engineering Icon: Why Tower Bridge Was Built

Tower Bridge may be one of London’s most recognisable landmarks today, but its construction was far from straightforward. The bridge emerged after decades of political disputes, engineering debates, public pressure, and competing interests, all against the backdrop of a rapidly growing city.

By the 1870s, East London had expanded dramatically, with vast numbers of people dependent on trade, industry, and transport. Yet there was no crossing east of London Bridge. Increasing congestion created urgent demands for a new crossing, while the busy shipping lanes of the Pool of London made any solution exceptionally challenging.

This episode explores:

• Why London urgently needed another Thames crossing
• The challenges posed by one of the world’s busiest waterways
• More than fifty competing bridge proposals
• Sir Joseph Bazalgette’s rejected high-level bridge design
• Political conflicts between public authorities and river interests
• How the bascule bridge design was eventually chosen

Concealed Framework of Tower Bridge | Infographic, London Guided Walks

Designing Tower Bridge: Horace Jones and John Wolfe Barry

The story of Tower Bridge is also the story of a remarkable collaboration between architect Horace Jones and engineer Sir John Wolfe Barry.

The episode follows the evolution of the bridge’s design, from Jones’s ambitious Gothic vision to Barry’s practical engineering solutions that allowed ships to pass while maintaining a road crossing across the Thames.

Topics covered include:

• Horace Jones’s original design concept
• The removal of the proposed central arch
• The introduction of the high-level walkways
• George Stevenson’s role following Jones’s death
• The strict requirements imposed by Parliament
• River navigation rights protected within the legislation

Building the Foundations: Divers Beneath the Thames

One of the most extraordinary aspects of the project was the construction of the bridge’s foundations beneath the River Thames.

Using enormous caissons sunk sixty feet below high-water level, workers excavated the riverbed to create what were reportedly the largest bridge pier foundations in the world at the time.

Special attention is given to the six divers whose work made the foundations possible:

• Friend Samuel Penny
• John Bateman
• Thomas Claucus
• Stephen Knott Fry
• James Rouse
• James Thacker

Working in dangerous conditions with Victorian diving equipment, these men spent years excavating beneath the river and are commemorated by plaques within Tower Bridge today.

Steam, Hydraulics, and Victorian Engineering

This episode takes a detailed look at Tower Bridge’s original operating system, one of the greatest engineering achievements of the Victorian era.

Listeners will discover how:

• Coal-fired boilers generated steam power
• Hydraulic pumps produced immense pressure
• Massive accumulators stored energy
• Hydraulic engines raised bascules weighing more than 1,000 tons each
• The bridge could open in approximately five minutes
• More than 6,000 bridge openings took place during the first year of operation

The episode also examines how the system was designed with extensive safety measures, influenced by lessons learned from the Tay Bridge disaster.

Cost Overruns, Delays, and Human Sacrifice

Tower Bridge was originally expected to cost £750,000 and be completed within four years.

Neither target was achieved.

The project ultimately required multiple Acts of Parliament to extend construction deadlines, while the final cost rose to more than double the original estimate once compensation payments, legal costs, and associated expenses were included.

The episode explores:

• Construction delays
• Budget overruns
• Compensation claims
• Legal disputes
• The dangers faced by Victorian workers

During construction:

• Ten workers lost their lives
• Nineteen suffered serious injuries
• Four deaths occurred during foundation work
• Five deaths occurred during superstructure construction

These losses are examined within the wider context of Victorian industrial practices and workplace safety standards.

Tower Bridge in the Courts

The construction of Tower Bridge also produced unexpected legal consequences.

The episode examines two fascinating court cases that reveal how the building works affected navigation on the Thames and altered the river’s behaviour.

These cases highlight:

• The risks posed by construction on a busy commercial waterway
• Financial losses suffered by contractors
• Disputes arising from altered river currents and tidal flows
• Judicial recognition that the bridge works had changed the behaviour of the Thames itself

London’s Ugliest Building? Victorian Critics Attack Tower Bridge

Today, Tower Bridge is one of London’s most admired landmarks. However, many contemporary architectural critics viewed it very differently.

The episode explores the fierce criticism directed at the bridge by leading architectural commentators, who argued that modern engineering had been disguised beneath an artificial Gothic façade.

Critics described the bridge as:

• “A huge but childish structure”
• “The most monstrous and preposterous architectural sham”
• A dishonest architectural compromise

The discussion explores why these criticisms emerged and why public opinion differed so dramatically from professional architectural opinion.

The Grand Opening of 1894

Tower Bridge officially opened on 30 June 1894 during a major ceremonial event attended by Edward, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII), and Alexandra, Princess of Wales.

The episode concludes with the story of the opening celebrations, including:

• The royal opening ceremony
• The silver-gilt mechanism used to signal the opening of the bridge
• Attendance by leading political figures
• Invitations extended to approximately 1,200 workers
• Commemorative gifts presented to workers and their families

Tower Bridge’s Lasting Legacy

Tower Bridge remains one of London’s defining landmarks, but its story extends far beyond architecture.

It is a story of:

• Political negotiation
• Victorian ambition
• Engineering innovation
• Dangerous construction work
• Public debate
• Human perseverance

Drawing on contemporary newspaper reports and Victorian sources, this episode reveals how Tower Bridge became one of the nineteenth century’s most remarkable infrastructure projects and an enduring symbol of London.

Listen to the Episode & Explore Victorian Engineering

Listen to Episode 162 – “Building Tower Bridge” on the London History Podcast to discover:

• Why Tower Bridge was needed
• The politics behind its construction
• The engineers who designed it
• The divers who built its foundations
• Victorian hydraulic technology
• Construction accidents and legal disputes
• Architectural criticism and public reaction
• The grand opening of 1894

Walk London’s Engineering and River History

Interested in discovering London’s remarkable engineering achievements in person?

Join Hazel Baker and London Guided Walks to explore the stories behind London’s bridges, rivers, markets, transport systems, and historic landmarks.

🎟 Book public walks or private tours:
londonguidedwalks.co.uk

🎧 Related Podcast Episodes:

• Episode 146: Jumping Tower Bridge
• Episode 137: The Thames Tunnel 
• Episode 88. The World’s First Underground Railway
• Episode 59: Big Ben

📚Related Blog posts:

• Artwork on Tower Bridge