Tower Bridgehas been built at a height of around 42 meters above the Thames River. The walkways of Tower Bridge provide mesmerizing views of St Paul’s Cathedral, Canary Wharf, Maritime Greenwich and The London Eye. Tower Bridge remains open on a daily basis. The timings are 10:00 to 18:30, from 1st April to 30th September, and 09:30 to 18:00, from 1st October to 31st March. It remains closed on 24th, 25th and 26thDecember. Tower Bridge was designed by Horace Jones, the City Architect, in collaboration with John Wolfe Barry. It took eight years, five major contractors and labor of 432 construction workers to complete the Tower Bridge. The construction work on Tower Bridge was completed in 1894. 11,000 tons of steel was used to construct the framework for Towers and Walkways. Cornish granite and Portland stone cover the steel structure of Tower Bridge. The bascules of Tower Bridge were initially powered by energy created from steam. However, since 1976, oil and electricity are being used to produce the energy. The original pumping engines, accumulators and boilers of Tower Bridge now form a part of the Tower Bridge Exhibition The high-level walkways of Tower Bridge, to be used by pedestrians when bascules were up, were closed down in 1910, due to lack of use. Tower Bridge was painted red, white and blue in 1977, as a part of the Queen's Silver Jubilee celebrations. It was in 1982 that Tower Bridge was opened to the public for the first time since 1910, with a permanent exhibition called the Tower Bridge Exhibition. Tower Bridge became available on hire for parties and receptions since the year 1994. The current Tower Bridge Exhibition was opened in 2002, with emphasis on Walkways views and history of the Bridge. In 2007, Tower Bridge celebrated 25 years of welcoming visitors to its Exhibition. The total length of Tower Bridge is 244 m (800 ft), while its longest span is 61 m (200 ft). Tower Bridge connects Iron Gate (now Tower Bridge Approach), on the north bank of the river, with Horsleydown Lane (now Tower Bridge Road), on the south. In May 1997, the 'unexpected' opening of Tower Bridge divided the motorcade of US President Bill Clinton.
