In celebration of its prevailing legacy, Tower Bridge today recreated a historic photograph from its public opening, exactly 130 years ago to the day. The event not only marks the milestone for London’s defining landmark, but also showcases its local communities, both in 1894 and in 2024.
Comparing the two photographs side by side, the contrast couldn’t be more striking. An example of the fundamental change in Britain over the past 130 years, and a snapshot of social history. In 1894, a crowd of largely white Londoners, a mix of working and middle class, young and old, in formal attire. Today, a diverse populace of all ages, genders and ethnicities, in informal clothing, representing the inclusive organisations and people that City Bridge Foundation funds, all taking part.
Dirk Bennett, Exhibition Development Manager, Tower Bridge, who’s idea it was to recreate the striking image, said: “Tower Bridge is more than just a remarkable feat of engineering, it’s a symbol of London’s everlasting spirit. By recreating this photograph, we celebrate both our rich history and the vibrant communities that make up our great city today. The people captured in the original photograph were the first to cross Tower Bridge when it opened to the public in 1894, with a staggering 140,000 people turning up to cross the bridge that day. We now have upwards of 40,000 pedestrians, cyclists and motorists using the Bridge every day.
Today’s photo features pupils from Tower Bridge Primary School and members of The Prince’s Trust, The Black Prince Trust, Latin America Disabled People’s Project, City of London Police Project Servator Team, The Bike Project, Hackney Shed, City of London Board Members, London Metropolitan Archive, Patrick Molineux, Social Pantry, Tower Bridge staff and contractors and the team at City Bridge Foundation.
The photograph from the 1894 public opening was recently unearthed by the family of Tower Bridge Resident Engineer, Edward Cruttwell, who oversaw the building of Tower Bridge and continued to work for the Bridge House Estates, overseeing the working Bridge, until 1897.
The original photograph is currently featuring in a free exhibition which features previously unseen, undocumented, unknown and unpublished photographs of the workers of the Bridge and of the public opening. Launching A Landmark: The Unseen Opening Weeks is an outdoor summer exhibition that can be found along the pavements and piers on the Bridge, running now until the end of September.
For more information about Tower Bridge and the Launching a Landmark: The Unseen Opening Weeks exhibition, visit: towerbridge.org.uk.
