Tower Bridge and HMS Belfast
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| HMS Westminster, HMS Belfast and Tower Bridge - Nikon D800 - 105mm f2.8G AF-S micro - 20s @ f11 - ISO100 |
Tower Bridge is one of the most famous landmarks in London and also one of the most photographed.
HISTORY OF TOWER BRIDGE
For many centuries London Bridge was the only bridge across the Thames but as the population of London grew more were added, but always to the west of London Bridge so as to not disrupt the river traffic that was so vital to the commerce of England's capital. However the population of East London grew as well and in the late 1870s the decision was taken to build a bridge to the east of London Bridge.
A huge challenge faced the City of London Corporation - how to build a bridge downstream from London Bridge without disrupting river traffic activities. To generate ideas, the "Special Bridge or Subway Committee" was formed in 1876, and opened the design for the new crossing to public competition.
Over 50 designs were submitted for consideration, some of which are on display at Tower Bridge Exhibition. It wasn't until October 1884 however, that Horace Jones, the City Architect, in collaboration with John Wolfe Barry, offered the chosen design for Tower Bridge as a solution.
Construction began in 1886 and was completed eight years later in 1894 and took it's name from the proximity to the Tower of London, which sits on the north bank of the Thames.
The bridge consists of two towers tied together at the upper level by means of two horizontal walkways, designed to withstand the horizontal forces exerted by the suspended sections of the bridge on the landward sides of the towers.
The vertical component of the forces in the suspended sections and the vertical reactions of the two walkways are carried by the two robust towers. The bascule pivots and operating machinery are housed in the base of each tower.
The bridge's present colour scheme dates from 1977, when it was painted red, white and blue for the Queen Elizabeth II's silver jubilee. Originally it was painted a mid greenish-blue colour.
HMS BELFAST
In this picture is the WWII light cruiser HMS Belfast which is permanently moored by Tower Bridge and is a museum run by the Imperial War Museum. Construction of HMS Belfast, the first Royal Navy ship to be named after the capital city of Northern Ireland and one of ten Town-class cruisers, began in December 1936. She was launched on St Patrick's Day, 17 March 1938, 75 years ago.
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| HMS Westminster, HMS Belfast and Tower Bridge - Nikon D800 - 17-35mm f2.8 AF-S - 1/800 @ f5.6 - ISO400 |
To help celebrate her 75th birthday, HMS Westminster, a Type 23 frigate of the Royal Navy, was moored alongside her, as seen in the pictures above.
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| HMS Belfast - Nikon D800 - 17-35mm f2.8 AF-S - 1/200 @ f6.3 - ISO200 |
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