London Bridge to Tower Bridge

LONDON BRIDGE TO TOWER BRIDGE SE1 / EC3


Starting on the south bank of the river Thames, savour the sights, sounds and smells of popular Borough Market. And see the famous Tower of London up close.

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What to look out for on the way

The Old Thameside Inn & The Mudlark

Your journey begins at The Old Thameside Inn(1) and takes you east towards Borough Market.

After leaving The Mudlark(2) (named after children who once earned a living by selling whatever they could find in the mud of the Thames), you may notice Glaziers Hall, housing the Worshipful Company of Glaziers and Painters of Glass. The Guild of Glaziers dates back to 1328, but the modern guild is a charity rather than a trade association.

The Ship & The Walrus & The Carpenter

London Bridge was once the city's only crossing over the Thames. There's been a bridge here for nearly 2,000 years. The first was wooden, and built by the Romans in 60 AD. In 1013 AD, King Aethelred burned the bridge to divide an invading army - an event that may well have inspired the nursery rhyme, London Bridge is Falling Down.

On the far side, you pass The Ship(3) and The Walrus & The Carpenter(4). Look out for the Monument that commemorates the Great Fire of London of 1666. Beyond lies the dreaded Tower of London, a place of incarceration for traitors and others who incurred the wrath of the monarch. The last execution took place here in 1941. Beyond is the marvellous Tower Bridge. Completed in 1894, it was the world's largest and most sophisticated bascule bridge - a lifting bridge with counterweights. The hydraulic lifting mechanisms were originally powered by steam.

The Horniman at Hay's & The Henry Addington

The high pedestrian walkways closed in 1910 because people preferred to wait at the bottom so they could watch the bascules rising up. In 1952, a London bus leapt from one bascule to the other when the bridge began to rise unexpectedly. Cross the river again, and turn west along The Queen's Walk towards HMS Belfast, a warship from the Second World War. It's just a few yards from The Horniman at Hay's(5). The pub takes its name from Frederick Horniman, a famous tea dealer, and from Hay's Wharf, the oldest and largest wharf in the Port of London. It was founded in 1651.

Please check individual pub pages for opening times, as some of our City of London sites are closed over the weekend.