Posted on 01/07/2012 5:10:54 PM PST by SunkenCiv
Stripped down to her underwear, the never before seen pictures of Tower Bridge -- one of the world's most recognisable structures -- have been unveiled after the stash of hundred-year-old prints were found in a skip.
Coinciding with the 125th anniversary of the bridge's foundation, the 50 sepia photos reveal in incredible detail the ingenuity behind one of the capital's most popular tourist destinations, which was the first bridge of its kind in the world.
The unique pictures, dating back to 1892, document the construction the iconic bridge, which at the time was a landmark feat of engineering nicknamed 'The Wonder Bridge'.
The discarded pictures, which were retrieved by a caretaker who was looking after a building being turned into flats in 2006, have spent the last five years in a carrier bag underneath his bed.
The 59-year-old, who wishes to remain anonymous, said that after the occupants of the Westminster office building moved out, the album and a number of documents were thrown into a skip outside.
He said: 'I took the ledgers to the Tower Bridge Museum because I thought they might have some historical value.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
A view of the bridge: The sturdy steel frame of Tower Bridge can be seen, before it was covered with its distinctive stone-cladding on the orders of architect John Wolfe-Barry
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| GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother & Ernest_at_the_Beach | |
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Thanks TEXOKIE. |
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This just gives me lead to redouble my dumpster diving.
Thank you for posting this. The photos are wonderful.
“Mr Berthoud, an expert in the history of London who gives guided tours around famous landmarks including Tower Bridge, said he was gobsmacked by the haul.”
It’s unbelieveable that someone threw these pictures away. I guess when you live daily amongst “old” things their value fades.
Betcha without Norman influence this bridge would look something like this:
And if it twerent for that famous group of nomads——The Romans—putting up a bridge thereabouts none of this would have happened. It would have CHANGED HISTORY.
But who throws old pictures like that away?
Found in a skip? ARGH.
Granted.. I was looking for something more... Saturday night...
But this is almost as interesting.
/johnny
Great photos at the link!
Had I not been on dial-up, I’d have posted more (in mini). :’) While interesting, and I agree with all, who throws such things away (answer is, bureaucrats do), 1892 doesn’t seem all that long ago to me, and I’m even more baffled that at least some image or other of the work hasn’t appeared (continuously since 1892) in British school textbooks. Anyway, thanks!
Thank you, thank you—so fascinating. And to think the cladding was originally to have been in brick! The Brits at the time were completely preeminent in engineering, with the Yanks on this tails, and the Germans doing what they could to stay in competition. Somewhere in this building I see the twentieth century—and it’s not in the cladding.
Thanks for this post. I think things like this are so cool, and its another example as to why I hang out at FR
You’re right, 1892 was not that long ago...I ran into this problem with my Aunt who was about to throw away pictures of my Grandfather. I couldn’t believe she could be so ignorant, but then she’s a baby boomer.
I came here for the hot chick.
Where's the hot chick?
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