One of the most instantly spotted landmarks of London, the Tower Bridge, offers a tour called "Tower Bridge Experience". It's a real treat to take this tour. I discovered that the people of London presented petitions to have a new bridge built as a crossing below London Bridge. It was a successful petition, and Tower Bridge was completed in 1894. It's a bascule bridge; in other words, it opens to allow big ships to pass below.

On the tour, we saw a few films about its history and construction. Then we visited the upper walkways. There are two walkways. They were originally built for pedestrians to cross the bridge when the bascules were in a raised position. These walkways were closed in 1909 because of the manysuicides that happened from there; fortunately, these walkways are now enclosed in glass, and they can once again be used by the public.

The views from the walkways are excellent! In the downstream walkway, they have an exhibit of old photos of Tower Bridge over the last 100+ years. Don't miss a visit of the engine room of this working bridge. The old boilers (coal-fired) have been saved for this exhibit. They now raise the bascules via electricity. It was quite an enjoyable learning experience. The Tower Bridge spans the Thames River next to the Tower of London. Tickets are purchased at the north tower; then one takes the left to the walkway.

Official statement

Tower Bridge has stood over the River Thames in London since 1894 and is one of the finest, most recognisable bridges in the World.
At the Tower Bridge Exhibition you can enjoy breath-taking views from the high-level Walkways, and learn about how and why the Bridge was built. The Walkways boast special viewing windows which allow you to take photographs unobstructed by glass, providing you with the perfect photo opportunity.

You can then visit the Victorian Engine Rooms, home to the beautifully maintained original steam engines that used to power the Bridge lifts. Exciting hands-on mechanisms and information panels explain about the ingenuous technology used over the years to keep Tower Bridge in motion.