Imagine you’re walking across, feeling all touristy. Suddenly, alarms blare. Red lights flash. Bar gates drop down behind you.
You’re now trapped in the middle. The bridge splits in two. You’re on a giant seesaw made of Victorian steel.
Don’t panic. The walkways at the top are always open. You can climb up, snap a selfie, and watch the whole thing happen below you. It’s free, it’s terrifying, and it’s absolutely brilliant.
A timelapse of a single opening
The whole process takes about 10 minutes. Two minutes to prepare. Four minutes to lift. Four minutes to come back down.
It uses hydraulic power—the same system from 1894. Except now it’s powered by electricity, not steam boilers and coal.
Fun fact: the original steam engines are still there. You can visit them in the bridge’s engine room. They look like something from a steampunk dream.
