Tower Bridge Glass Floor
The Tower Bridge Glass Floor in London sits 42 meters above the River Thames, featuring 70-millimeter-thick panels installed in 2014 that can hold the weight of six elephants. Construction of Tower Bridge began on April 22, 1886, using over 13 million rivets and a steel frame disguised with granite. The high-level walkways were previously closed to the public from 1910 until 1982.
London Β· from the walk βLondon's Big Kid Adventureβ Β· audio ~3 min Β· Generated
Tower Bridge, London SE1 2UP
- Construction of London's Tower Bridge began on April 22, 1886, and required over 13 million rivets.
- Installed in 2014, each glass panel on the walkway weighs 530 kilograms and is 70 millimeters thick.
- The Tower Bridge walkways suspended 42 meters above the Thames were closed to the public from 1910 to 1982.
- On December 30, 1952, bus driver Albert Gunter successfully jumped bus number 78 across the opening bridge.
How thick are the glass panels on the Tower Bridge Glass Floor in London?
Okay, are you ready for something Amazing? Look up... way, way up. You're standing beneath one of the most famous bridges on the entire Planet... Tower Bridge!......... Now here's a question for you. Can you guess how many years it took to build this incredible bridge? Eight whole years! Construction started on April twenty-second, eighteen eighty-six, and it took eight years to complete. On average, four hundred and thirty-two workers showed up every single day to put it together... and here's what blows my mind. They used over thirteen Million rivets just to hold the steel together!......... But wait... the bridge has a secret. It Looks like it's made of stone, like a medieval castle, right? That's actually a disguise! Underneath all that fancy stonework, it's really a massive steel frame. They dressed it up in granite and stone so it would match the Tower of London next door. Pretty sneaky, huh?......... Now, if you're brave enough, let's talk about the Glass Floor up in those walkways. It was installed in twenty fourteen, and each glass panel weighs a whopping five hundred and thirty kilograms and is seventy millimeters thick! And get this... the glass is SO strong it could hold the weight of Six Elephants! So yeah... you're totally safe up there.......... You'll be standing about forty-two meters above the Thames, watching red double-decker buses and black cabs zoom around beneath your feet like tiny toys. Some kids lie Right down on the glass to get the closest view possible... while some grown-ups won't even put one foot on it!......... And here's the wildest story. On December thirtieth, nineteen fifty-two, a Number seventy-eight bus actually Jumped across Tower Bridge while it was opening! The driver, Albert Gunter, saw the road ahead starting to rise... and instead of slamming the brakes, he hit the gas! A watchman had Failed to ring the warning bell. Gunter's quick thinking saved all the passengers, and he was later awarded for his bravery. Imagine being on That bus!......... Oh, and one more thing... the walkways up top were actually Closed from nineteen ten all the way until nineteen eighty-two because they'd become a hangout for pickpockets. Real Oliver Twist territory! So when you walk up there today, remember... you're walking in a space that was locked away and hidden from the world for over Seventy years.
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