One of the main tourist sites in London is the Tower of London; unfortunately many people get confused between Tower Bridge (which is a bridge) and the Tower (which is a tower) Tower Bridge took eight years to build, work starting in 1886. It is apparently a combined bascule and suspension bridge – a bascule is just a bridge that lifts up; Tower Bridge lifts up in two parts from the centre so ships can pass beneath. Tower Bridge is also not London Bridge! London Bridge, famous for the children’s nursery rhyme ‘London Bridge is falling down’, is the next bridge along upstream.
The Tower of London, built on the side of Roman remains, was begun to be built shortly after the Norman Conquest in 1066, but no-one is quite sure exactly when, although it was under construction in the 1070’s. The wonderfully named Gundulf, not a wizard but the Bishop of Rochester oversaw the construction and Norman masons were brought from the county in France where William, known as the Conqueror came from. Within the structure was even stone imported Normandy. The masons were the draftsmen, the men who worked on the actual construction, doing the graft were all English. This first phase and the original development was finished by 1100.
The Tower was 118 foot by 106 foot across, and in parts it was 90 foot tall; The structure must have been visible from a far distance, reminding the Anglo-Saxons who had won the battle at Hastings.
Lois Elsden 