Before its construction, the city of London had grown substantially and cars and pedestrians could only use the one bridge-London bridge.

Although there were fewer cars than there are today, the traffic jams were unbearable, so it was inevitable that another bridge would be built. Its designer was Sir Horace Jones and Sir Wolfe Barry engineered it.

However, when the bridge was completed and opened for traffic in 1894, the public did not like it at all. One magazine referred to it as "the most monstrous and preposterous architectural sham that we have ever known". The new bridge has two towers that rise 200 feel above the Thames. A pair of glass-covered walkways stretches between the two towers for pedestrians. Steam engines raise and lower the bascules-movable roadways-in less than two minutes, to allow ships to pass.

However, public opinion has changed over the years, and today Tower Bridge belongs to the most beloved and most photographed landmarks both of Londoners and visitors from all over the world.

Tower Bridge, built of steel and masonry, is the only movable one of the 29 bridges, which has been built on the Thames. When it was opened to traffic, it was raised and lowered 1,000 times per year. Today, there are fewer ships on the Thames, so the bridge opens about 100 times per year.