Editing Tower Bridge (section)

=== Opening ===
[[File: Opening of Tower Bridge 1895.jpg|thumb|right|1895 painting of the opening of Tower Bridge, [[William Lionel Wyllie]]]]
Tower Bridge was officially opened on 30 June 1894 by the Prince and [[Alexandra of Denmark|Princess of Wales]].{{sfn|Weinreb|Hibbert|Keay|Keay|2008|p=922}}{{sfn|Robins|2017|p=17}} The opening ceremony was attended by the [[Lord Chamberlain]], the [[Charles Wynn-Carington, 1st Marquess of Lincolnshire|Lord Carrington]] and the [[Home Secretary]], [[H. H. Asquith]].<ref name=times_opening/> It was reported that "few [pageants] have been more brilliant or will have a more abiding and historic interest" than the opening of Tower Bridge in the history of the City of London, and it was a "semi-State" occasion.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2 July 1894 |title=The New Tower Bridge – Opening By The Prince |work=The Standard |pages=3 }}</ref>

In addition to the official opening, the City of London Corporation gave an "entertainment", at a cost of £300, to 1,200 workmen and their wives. Edward Cruttwell, who had been in charge of the building of the bridge from the beginning, presided. After dinner, each workman was presented with a commemorative pipe and packet of tobacco, and each workman's wife with a box of sweetmeats.<ref name=":2" />

An Act of Parliament stipulated that a [[tug boat]] should be on station to assist vessels in danger when crossing the bridge, a requirement that remained in place until the 1960s.{{sfn|Robins|2017|p=17}}

The bridge connected Iron Gate, on the north bank of the river, with {{Not a typo|Horselydown}} Lane, on the south – now known as Tower Bridge Approach and [[Tower Bridge Road]], respectively.{{sfn|Tower Bridge|1994|p=47}} Until the bridge was opened, the [[Tower Subway]] – {{cvt|400|m|mi|order=flip}} to the west – was the shortest way to cross the river from [[Tower Hill]] to [[Tooley Street]] in [[Southwark]]. Opened in 1870, Tower Subway was among the world's earliest underground ("tube") railways, but it closed after just three months and was reopened as a tolled pedestrian foot tunnel. Once Tower Bridge was open, the majority of foot traffic transferred to using the bridge, as there was no toll to cross. Having lost most of its income, the tunnel was closed in 1898.{{sfn|Smith|2001|pp=22–23}}

The high-level open-air walkways between the towers gained a reputation for [[Prostitution in the United Kingdom|prostitutes]] and [[pickpocketing|pickpockets]]. Since they were only accessible by stairs, the walkways were seldom used by regular pedestrians and were closed in 1910.<ref name="walkway">{{cite news |title=Tower Bridge: fascinating facts and figures |first=Oliver |last=Smith |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/united-kingdom/england/london/south-east/london-bridge/articles/Tower-Bridge-fascinating-facts-and-figures/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/united-kingdom/england/london/south-east/london-bridge/articles/Tower-Bridge-fascinating-facts-and-figures/ |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |newspaper=The Telegraph |date=8 January 2018}}{{cbignore }}</ref>{{sfn|Rough Guides|1998|p=152}} The walkway reopened in 1982 as part of the Tower Bridge Exhibition.<ref name="walkway"/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/blogs/vertigo-calling-walkways-at-londons-tower-bridge-outfitted-with-glass |title=Vertigo calling: Walkways at London's Tower Bridge outfitted with glass floors |first=Matt |last=Hickman |work=Mother Nature Network |date=12 November 2014 |access-date=24 October 2019 |archive-date=24 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191024213535/https://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/blogs/vertigo-calling-walkways-at-londons-tower-bridge-outfitted-with-glass |url-status=live }}</ref>