The great-grandson of someone who built Tower Bridge has found a collection of never-before-seen photos from the week it opened 130 years ago.
On 22 June, Tower Bridge will unveil the fascinating photographs in a free exhibition – Launching A Landmark: The Unseen Opening Weeks.
The previously unseen and undocumented photos were found by Patrick Molineux, the great-grandson of one of the Victorian engineers who built Tower Bridge, Edward Cruttwell.
Cruttwell led its construction until completion in 1894, and for the next twelve years, he worked directly for the Bridge House Estates as the Resident Engineer overseeing the working Bridge.
Patrick Molineux, who discovered the photographs, said: “My mother had stored the photos for decades in an archive box, and we were pleasantly shocked to discover that they’d never been seen publicly.
“It’s always been a source of pride for our family to have such a connection to an icon like Tower Bridge so we couldn’t quite believe that we’d discovered such a piece of history.
The images focus on the workers in the final weeks of its creation, and the ordinary Londoners and members of the public who came to use the new Bridge for the first time.
Along with the exhibition on and around Tower Bridge, the photographs will be brought to life through augmented reality and additional stories in digital content online.
Chris Earlie, Tower Bridge Director, added that the exhibition is ‘nothing like’ anything they have staged at the Bridge before’, commenting: “We’re proud to be celebrating the workers who helped build Tower Bridge and the Londoners who were the first to cross it with local communities at a free, open-air exhibition this summer.”
Launching A Landmark: The Unseen Opening Weeks will open on Saturday 22 June and will run until September.
For more information, please visit towerbridge.org.uk.