Tales from Tower Bridge: five wild urban myths debunked

The headline: Missouri millionaire takes a fancy to Tower Bridge but accidentally buys London Bridge instead.

The story: Chainsaw tycoon (yes, really) Robert P. McCulloch founded several cities across the American West in the mid-20th Century. Keen to zhuzh up his fledgling Lake Havasu City in Arizona, McCulloch looked to London where, by 1968, the Victorian iteration of London Bridge had reached its sell-by-date, and needed to be replaced before, well, before it sank like a (very large and mishappen) stone to the bottom of the Thames. Ever the entrepreneur, McCulloch swooped in with an offer to buy and relocate the famous bridge to Arizona, coughing up £1.02m (around $20m in today’s money) and shipping it to the States brick by eye-wateringly expensive brick. But was his American dream about to become a nightmare? You decide.

Once the old London Bridge had been pulled apart and shipped (yes, on an actual ship), rumours began to circulate that a dreadful mistake had been made, and that millionaire McCulloch, high on his own ambition, had believed he was buying the postcard-worthy Tower Bridge, and not its rather more workaday Thames neighbour. Not true, insisted McCulloch. “Of course not,” added London councillor Ivor Luckin, who made the sale. But was that a twinkle in his eye?

Our verdict: This story seems wildly unlikely and carries the distinct whiff of Brits having a playful dig at their transatlantic cousins. Not that it did McCulloch’s Arizona projects any harm: the arrival of London Bridge in Lake Havasu City massively accelerated the influx of new residents and curious tourists. In any case it makes a great story, and that’s why it remains one of Tower Bridge’s most enduring urban myths.

The headline: Bus driver comes over all Evel Knievel on Tower Bridge.

The story: It’s the end of December – that liminal space between Christmas and New Year when we modern Londoners spend most of our time wondering what day of the week it is and tearfully clutching what remains of our Terry’s chocolate oranges. But back in the era of the Great Smog, things were different: hardy Londoners were actually out and about on the evening of December 30, 1952, taking buses and everything. Late in the day, one such bus – a big red double decker, no less – was being navigated across Tower Bridge by former tank driver Albert Gunter when, due to an oversight by the watchman, the bridge’s bascules began to rise. Yikes.

Fortunately, Albert was thinking on his feet (or, more accurately, his butt). He quickly dropped the gears and let rip on the accelerator; the no.78 soared into the air and over the gap, taking Albert, the conductor and all 20 grateful passengers safely down the other side. And so, Albert got his well-deserved 15 minutes of fame, plus a day off work and £10 as a reward for his heroism – that’s more than a 1952 bus driver’s weekly wage, fact fans. He later received a further £35 and a family holiday to Bournemouth courtesy of the City Corporation as well as, presumably, dining out on this extraordinary tale of derring-do for the rest of his days. 

Our verdict: Absolutely true. But if you’re picturing a scene worthy of a Mission: Impossible blockbuster, think again: Albert’s bus was travelling at a mere 12mph when it bridged the six-foot gap. Which makes the whole thing seem a lot less dramatic, if no less heroic.

The headline: It’s a bridge! But it's also a tunnel!

The story: We’re suckers for a good conspiracy theory and it’s not as if London isn’t riddled with subterranean passages, crypts and secret government bunkers. No surprise then that many believe an icon like Tower Bridge might also be hiding secret vaults, royal relics and underwater tunnels in plain sight. Sure, the proximity of the Tower of London and its various dungeons adds some credence to such theories. But royals, spies and government officials sneaking around a lichen-clad Victorian tunnel deep beneath the Thames? Not likely.

That said, Tower Bridge’s foundations do plunge deep into the Thames mud, and you can explore the beautifully preserved original Victorian engine rooms below street level. Here, polished brass and soaring ironwork fittings point to the amount of steam power required to lift the bascules before electricity took over. Fascinating for sure, but if you’re looking to unmask a secret agent, you might be better off seeking out one of London’s many escape and puzzle rooms.

Our verdict: This one’s as likely as the claim that the Trafalgar Square lions will come to life if Big Ben strikes 13 times. Complete bunkum, in other words.

The headline: Plane crazy! Pilot buzzes Tower Bridge and beats the bascules!

The story: The story goes that, way back in 1912, daredevil pilot Frank McClean ‘threaded the bascules’ of Tower Bridge. In other words, he flew an aircraft through the gap between the walkway up top, and the (unraised) bascules below. This did indeed happen, though the Spitfire that starred in some of the taller tales about McClean’s feat is something of an upgrade from his (actual) seaplane. McClean ditched in the water on his return leg, having dipped under every other bridge as far down the Thames as Westminster, as well as (it's said) buzzing ship masts and at least one very disgruntled group of Thames fishermen.

McClean was the first – but not the last – pilot to thread the Tower Bridge bascules. The feat was also achieved in 1951 by Frank Miller, winning him a 35 shilling bet against his son and losing him £100 in the courts, and by RAF lieutenant Alan Pollock, who piloted a Hawker Hunt jet through the gap in 1968. Pollock was arrested and discharged for his troubles. More recently, in 2012, two helicopters carrying the Queen’s stunt double flew beneath the walkway as part of the Summer Olympics opening ceremony. 

Our verdict: This myth has wings: it’s absolutely true!

The headline: You can get stuck at the top of a rising bascule.

The story: Gephyrophobes, look away now: this one’s all about the (not unreasonable) fear that the bascules might rise while you’re passing across them, leaving you hanging out with the pigeons and panoramic Thames views. We already know this happened to Albert Gunter and his passengers back in 1952, but things have moved on considerably since the days of abacuses, guesswork and smoking on planes. Nowadays sensors, computers and a somewhat more robust approach to health and safety ensures that all vehicles and pedestrians have exited the bridge long before it starts to open. The bascules rise to let tall boats through around a thousand times each year: that there hasn’t been a single incident since that fateful day in 1952 should provide comfort to those who live in mortal terror of an impromptu Tower Bridge sky picnic.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the spectacle – from a safe distance, ideally clutching an ice cream. You’ll be in good company, too. In 1997, President Bill Clinton, running late after a posh Bankside lunch with then-PM Tony Blair, found himself waiting 20 minutes in traffic while the bridge rose to let Thames barge Gladys (not running late) pass through. The motorcade was split by the blunder, and no ice creams were consumed by the panicking presidential security detail.

Our verdict: No, at least not unless you’re a 1952 bus driver.

And that’s a wrap on our myth-busting guide to Tower Bridge. Want more? Impress your friends with our Tower Bridge trivia tidbits, ideal fodder for your next pub quiz night, whether there’s a round including questions about London landmarks or not…

• Many people think that – like its Tower of London neighbour – Tower Bridge has been around for centuries. In fact, it was opened relatively recently, in 1894.
• Queen Victoria declined to attend the bridge’s opening, leaving her son (the Prince of Wales; later King Edward VII) to do the honours.
• It took 432 construction workers, eight years and £1.2m to build Tower Bridge. 
• The bridge’s 11,000-ton steel framework is clad in Cornish granite and Portland stone, and a veritable ocean of paint (around 22,000 litres) is required to achieve its iconic look.
• The famous bascules are raised just over twice a day on average, around 800 times a year; it takes around five minutes to fully lift them.
• Tower Bridge features in many a classic British film, but perhaps most memorably in 1997 Spice Girls flick Spice World: The Movie, in which Albert Gunter’s famous leap was recreated using a toy bus and bridge.