Visitors glimpse Thames from 42 metres high as £1 million Tower Bridge glass floor opens to public

This article originally appeared on Culture24.

Visitors get first sight of Tower Bridge landscape from £1 million glass floorClick on the picture to launch

Paving 11 metres in length across a series of six panels weighing 530 kilograms each, the new £1 million glass floor at Tower Bridge has opened to the public in the first major embellishment of the exhibition since it opened in 1982, 42 metres above the Thames.

Visitors said their legs felt like they were “full of water” as they gingerly glimpsed the city above the carbon steel framework, designed to withstand the weight of an elephant or two of the city’s robust Black Cabs.

A team of 20 workpeople spent six weeks building each walkway, concluding a two-year project which planners expect to increase the current visitor count of around 600,000 people each year.

“The opening of Tower Bridge marked the dawn of a legendary feat of engineering creating what is considered by many as the most famous bridge in the world,” said Christopher Earlie, the Head of Tower Bridge, speaking in the year which has seen events and exhibitions marking the 120th birthday of the landmark.

“We are extremely proud to unveil the new glass floor on the high-level walkways – another astonishing engineering accomplishment.

“For the first time ever, visitors to the exhibition will be able to experience a never seen before viewpoint of London – the Thames, road and pedestrian life, all moving at pace 42 metres below.

“Those who plan the time of their visit carefully will be able to witness - from above - the magic of the Bridge raising for a river vessel. It’s a great sight.”

A distinctly 21st century twist has been provided in the form of a state-of-the-art app, called Raise Tower Bridge, which gives fans a 360-degree panorama of the bridge going up, seen through different angles and recreating the vertiginous drop to the water below.

Curators have also refreshed the accompanying Great Bridges of the World exhibition, leading to the Victorian Engine Rooms where the keenly-maintained steam engines which once powered the lifts are now stored.

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Source: http://www.culture24.org.uk//history-and-heritage/historic-buildings/art508339