Bridge · London, United Kingdom
Tower Bridge
Tower Bridge is a Grade I listed combined bascule, suspension, and, until 1960, cantilever bridge in London, built between 1886 and 1894. Built 1886–1894.
Photo: Fuzzypiggy via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0. Cropped and resized for display.
Landmark facts
| Location | London, United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Type | Bridge |
| Built | 1886–1894 |
| Architect | Horace Jones |
| Height | Height: 65 m |
| Coordinates | 51.5056° N, 0.0753° W |
Every fact above is taken from the sources listed below; anything no source states is left blank rather than guessed.
What Tower Bridge is known for
Tower Bridge is a Grade I listed combined bascule, suspension, and, until 1960, cantilever bridge in London, built between 1886 and 1894.
About Tower Bridge
Tower Bridge is a Grade I listed combined bascule, suspension, and, until 1960, cantilever bridge in London, built between 1886 and 1894, designed by Horace Jones and engineered by John Wolfe Barry with the help of Henry Marc Brunel. It crosses the River Thames close to the Tower of London and is one of five London bridges owned and maintained by the City Bridge Foundation, a charitable trust founded in 1282. The bridge was constructed to connect the 39% of London's population that lived east of London Bridge, equivalent to the populations of "Manchester on the one side, and Liverpool on the other", while allowing shipping to access the Pool
History
By the late 19th century, the population and commercial development in the East End of London was increasing, leading to demand for a new river crossing downstream of London Bridge. A traditional fixed bridge at street level could not be built because it would cut off access by sailing ships to the port facilities in the Pool of London between London Bridge and the Tower of London. A Special Bridge or Subway Committee chaired by Sir Albert Joseph Altman was formed in December 1875 to find a solution.
Planning a visit? Visit the official Tower Bridge website — the official site has the current visiting information.
How to get there
| Nearest town | London |
|---|---|
| Nearest airport | London City Airport (LCY) |
| Distance from the airport | 5.4 miles (straight line) |
Nearest major airport by straight-line distance from the landmark’s coordinates; road distance will be longer.
Airports near this landmark
The airports a visitor would actually fly into, nearest first — each link opens its profile on our sister site AirportProfiles.
- London Heathrow Airport (LHR) · London, United Kingdom · 16.7 miles away
- London Gatwick Airport (LGW) · London, United Kingdom · 25.1 miles away
- London Luton Airport (LTN) · Luton, Luton, United Kingdom · 28.4 miles away
Landmarks nearby
The closest landmarks in this library, by straight-line distance.
More landmarks in United Kingdom
More bridges
Frequently asked questions
What is Tower Bridge?
Tower Bridge is a Grade I listed combined bascule, suspension, and, until 1960, cantilever bridge in London, built between 1886 and 1894.
Where is Tower Bridge located?
Tower Bridge is in London, United Kingdom. Its coordinates are 51.5056° N, 0.0753° W.
How do I get to Tower Bridge?
The nearest town is London, and the nearest airport is London City Airport (LCY), about 5.4 miles away (straight line).
When was Tower Bridge built?
Tower Bridge was built 1886–1894.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_Bridge — Wikipedia article — overview, history and core facts (CC BY-SA).
- https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q83125 — Wikidata — built year, architect, height/size, visitors, official website (CC0).
- https://www.towerbridge.org.uk/ — Official website of the landmark / managing body.
- https://github.com/jbrooksuk/JSON-Airports — Nearest major airport computed from landmark and airport coordinates (haversine); airport list: jbrooksuk/JSON-Airports.
Page last updated 13 November 2026.