Submitted by Shadoe Lange on the 2014 winter session study abroad program in London, England sponsored by the Department of History…
Thousands of people travel to London throughout the year to visit the various pieces of architecture from hundreds of years ago that are still standing. I have found such structures to be amazingly beautiful. In my lifetime, I have yet to experience any structures that have dated back over hundreds or even a thousand years ago; I have only seen them in photos. Being here in London has given me an amazing opportunity to not only see and touch these old amazing buildings, but to also learn the extensive and rich history behind them.
At the young age of 20, I have grown up with modern technology and most things I use have been built with the aid of high-tech machinery. Therefore, I find learning about these buildings and bridges and the manual labor it took to construct them extremely interesting. Shown in my photo is Tower Bridge as seen from the Tower of London. This bridge was officially opened in 1894 due to the apparent need of better and faster access across the River Thames into the increasingly developing East End of London. After eight long years under the supervision of five major contractors, the bridge opened and immediately filled with pedestrian traffic. Tower Bridge is unique by combining two common bridge architectural techniques since it is both a bascule and suspension bridge which made it an engineering marvel of its time.
This beautiful icon of London is a must see. The old bridges in London have much more beauty and detail then today’s flat, common and plain bridges that I have seen in the States.
