Engineering Tours
Published: 5 January 2011
Due to popular demand the March Engineering
Tours are sold out.
Engineering enthusiasts will have the opportunity to enjoy a
special behind-the-scenes tour that will take in areas of the
Bridge that are not normally open to the public. This includes the
Bridge Control Room, the immense Bascule Chambers below the level
of the river bed and the Machinery Room that houses the hydraulic
machinery that powers the lifting of the Bridge.
The cherry on top for one lucky visitor will be the
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to raise the bridge on a future date
to be arranged, with one name drawn from all Engineering Tour
guests.
The exclusive tours, which will be for a maximum of 12 people
each, will initially be led by one of Tower Bridge’s experienced
tour guides who will take guests on an in-depth exploration of the
Bridge. This includes the audio visual Tower Bridge Exhibition
which explains the fascinating history of the Bridge and its
construction, the panoramic Walkways suspended 42 metres above the
Thames affording far reaching views across London and the
atmospheric Victorian Engine Rooms which house the magnificent
restored steam pumping engines, accumulators and boilers that were
used to power the bridge lifts until 1976.
The final part of the tour will be conducted by one of Tower
Bridge’s senior technical officers who will take guests to those
areas that are normally off-limits to the public where they will
discover how the Bridge operates today and be able to ask any
questions they may have.
Since Tower Bridge opened in 1894 it has become one of the
world’s most recognised and best-loved icons and is unquestionably
synonymous with London, probably more so than any other of the
city’s famous landmarks. When it was completed it was the largest
and most sophisticated bascule bridge ever built and it remains an
impressive and beautiful example of visionary Victorian
engineering.
Tours will run on all Saturdays and Sundays in
March at 4.30pm and will last for an hour and a half. The cost
is £30 per person and includes a Tower Bridge Guidebook. Individual
tickets can be purchased for these tours so for this special one
week period there is no need to be part of an organised group with
a minimum number.
To add an extra special dimension to this unique day out, Le
Pont de la Tour is offering Bridge visitors the chance to enjoy the
very best of modern French cuisine with magnificent views of its
eponymous neighbour. A 3 course menu will be
available to Engineering Tour visitors and their guests after their
visit to the Bridge at an additional cost of £30 per person
inclusive of a glass of Champagne. Further detail will be made
available at the time of booking the tour. See
www.danddlondon.com for
more details on one of London’s best riverside restaurants.