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One of the most interesting webcams in London, which in real time allows us to see one of the monumental symbols of this city and the whole of Great Britain. The main object, to which the lens of this webcam is aimed, is the Tower Bridge across the wide river Thames. Two large towers, which are built on pylons in the central part, have a unique design that makes the Tower Bridge difficult to confuse with any other bridge in the world. The towers are built in Victorian Gothic style and have a height of 65 meters. Construction of the bridge was started in 1886 and completed in 8 years – at the end of June 1894. The length of the Tower Bridge is 244 meters, so its construction in the late 19th century required a number of innovative engineering solutions.
The river Thames is navigable, therefore the Tower Bridge was originally built as a drawbridge. For this purpose, the central opening of the bridge was equipped with two lifting wings, which at the time of passing the ships can be raised at an angle of 83 degrees. Despite the fact that each “wing” of the bridge has a mass of more than 1000 tons, the construction provides special counterweights, thanks to which efforts to open the bridge have been minimized and the bridge can be diluted in just 1 minute. Initially, the hydraulic system was used to open the bridge and water-steam engines were used. However, in 1974 – 80 years after the bridge was built – the spans of the bridge in first time were lifted using oil hydraulics and an electric drive.
In order that even during the divorced bridge the pedestrian communication between the districts of London, located on either side of the bridge, was not interrupted, a pedestrian gallery was provided. With this London webcam overlooking the Tower Bridge, we can see this gallery at the top of the bridge, at an altitude of 44 meters. The gallery connects two central towers at the top. To access the pedestrian gallery, special staircases were provided in the towers. Tower Bridge was built of steel, not stone, as you might think when you see this bridge not only through the webcam of London, but also being near it. Stone lining was provided only to better protect the metal from corrosion. And a lot of metal was required for construction: only about 11 thousand tons of steel were used for the construction of two towers and a pedestrian gallery.
A large neo-Gothic building on the opposite bank of the Thames – Westminster Palace. In this building accepts the most important decisions for the UK, because it is here that the two houses of the British Parliament sit: the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The first Westminster Palace was built at the beginning of the last millennium, but the current building was built almost from scratch after a major fire in 1834. Of the more ancient buildings, only the Tower of Treasures and the Reception Hall have been preserved. Outwardly, the palace does not seem very large, but in reality there are 1100 rooms in the building, which are connected by means of five kilometers of corridors. The highest point of the Palace of Westminster is 98.5 meters high. It is Victoria Tower, which located to the left of the webcam.
Now the Tower Bridge is also a drawbridge, but the towers and the pedestrian gallery are a museum with a viewing platform. And pedestrian and vehicular traffic during the rise of the bridge is temporarily suspended. With the help of this webcam in London you can see the Tower Bridge in the process of breeding. The exact schedule does not exist, but the schedule for the next few days can always be seen on the official site of the bridge in the “Lift times” section. As a rule, the bridge rises for a short time from 3 to 10 times a day on preliminary requests from large ships. Live broadcast is provided by the Visit London channel. To see the Tower Bridge in real time and in the best quality, you can deploy the webcam to full screen and choose the best quality in the standard Youtube settings. I wish you a pleasant viewing and an exciting virtual trip to London!
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