Tower Bridge, Queen's Walk and river cruises weave a summer evening's magic

Tower Bridge - a sunset panorama

Tower Bridge:

Tower Bridge is iconic of London. It bridges London's financial district on the north bank with the Borough of Southwark on the south bank. The picture here  is a sunset panorama with Tower Bridge in the center and the Gherkin, Swiss Re building, (which is London's first ecological tall building, designed by Fosters + Partners), to the far right. [Photo by D.Illif released under commons license @ http://bit.ly/c4JBtp].


Being located near the Tower of London, the bridge takes its name from its location and not, as it is sometimes mistakenly imagined, from its own two towers. The bridge is also sometimes mistakenly referred to as the London Bridge, which is actually the next bridge upstream that has been there, at or near the present location, in some form or other, over the past 2,000 years; the present London Bridge is a rather mundane structure that does not deserve or draw any public attention.

I'm on board the HMS Belfast moored upstream of Tower Bridge

Tower bridge is both a suspension bridge and a bascule bridge. The central span, which is 61m long, is split into two equal bascule parts, each weighing 1,000 tons, that lift up @ 83 degrees to allow bigger vessels to pass. The two shore spans, each 82m long, are suspension bridges. The two towers at 65m height afford a spectacular view of the city.  


The design of the bridge was chosen from some 50 designs that were submitted in an open public competition held for this purpose in the 1870's. The final judgment of the competition was surrounded by some controversy. The decision ultimately went in favor of the design submitted by the City Architect Horace Jones (who was also one of the judges) and his structural engineer Sir John Wolfe Barry. The bridge was opened by King Edward VII in 1894. Today, if some of the structural elements of the bridge appear to be over designed, one has to remind oneself that in those days analytical and design tools were not as sophisticated as they are today, nor did Sir John have the use of today's high grade materials. 

Queen's Walk - looking to London City Hall

Queen's Walk: HMS Belfast is moored west of Tower Bridge and is accessible by a pedestrian walkway from Queen's Walk. Queen's Walk is a promenade that runs along the south bank of the river from Tower Bridge to Lambeth Bridge and is a favorite tourist walk from London Eye Ferris wheel to the Tower of London. The promenade attracts visitors from all parts of the globe. It is full of tourists through the day until very late in the evening. One late evening, at around 11pm, as I was returning to my hotel near Tower Hill, two young Japanese women asked me for direction to the promenade, which goes to indicate how popular (and safe) the place is. Architecturally, the promenade is dominated by the London City Hall (designed by Foster + Partners) seen here at the far end of the picture.

The Scoop - a sunken amphitheater

The Scoop: The Scoop is a sunken amphitheater, directly accessible from the promenade, that accommodates 800 picnicking audience. It hosts a mix of theater, cinema and music, which is all entirely free yet of surprisingly high standard.  Free ticketing does make the Scoop a popular destination on a summer evening. Here viewers take with them cushions and blankets to fend off the chill of the concrete steps and enjoy the show while sipping a glass of wine. Very relaxed, and if I may add, very civilized.

River cruises - looking at the north bank

River Cruises:
River cruises fill the ambiance with cheerful intermittent motion. As the boats pass the waves create ripples all the way to the shores, which is fun to watch both for kids and adults alike. In this picture three boats are crossing each other simultaneously. These are dinner-dance cruises and the atmosphere on the decks, one could see and hear even from a distance, was one of boisterous conviviality.

The Tower Bridge with its milling crowd, Queen's Walk with families licking ice-cream, the Scoop with its wine sipping audience, river cruises with loud gaiety and the balmy summer evening together added up to a magical ambiance that will remain etched in my mind for a long time.