The Tower Bridge Exhibition

Whilst contemplating what to see next in London, I came across the website for the Tower Bridge Exhibition, and thought that it would be a good place to take photographs of the city, if nothing else. The entrance is at the North West Tower of the Bridge and admission costs £8 for adults. It was a lot busier than I was expecting, but the queue moved along very smoothly – clearly the staff are used to big crowds. You head up to the walkway in a lift and then view a presentation with a (vaguely amusing) video portraying Queen Victoria in conversation with the architects who designed the Bridge. You can then continue on your way to the actual walkway in order to admire the views from 42 meters above the River Thames.

There are information points throughout the walkway, and photographic exhibitions – on my visit the exhibitions were on different bridges from around the world and extracts from Miroslav Sasek’s book, ‘This is London’, which I admit to enjoying quite a lot. But really, the most important thing is to be able to get a different view of London than is normally possible from the ground.

After the walkway’s you head to another area for a brief film and where you can get a real sense of the scale of the bridge itself…

…before heading down and then outside again, following a blue line on the ground until you come to the engine room where the original lifting machinery is on display, with working parts, which makes an interesting little highlight to the exhibition.

The Exhibition is well worth a visit if you fancy seeing London from a different angle. They also offer a combination visit with the Monument to the Great Fire of London – which unfortunately I didn’t have time to take advantage of myself.