Explorer Tom's day out at Tower Bridge

“Bascules up, hats down, lads.”

Tower Bridge looks as if someone asked a medieval fortress to learn a party trick, and the thing actually did. Its two Gothic towers make a fine dramatic entrance, but the clever bit is in the roadway: two huge leaves that lift to let tall vessels through, right in the middle of working London. The bridge opened on 30 June 1894 after eight years of construction. Hundreds of workers built the steel structure, then wrapped it in stone so it would sit comfortably beside the Tower of London. The raising sections, called bascules, were originally powered by steam-driven hydraulic machinery. You can see the old engines inside today, while modern machinery does the everyday lifting. Watching traffic stop for a ship is still the best free lesson in how the bridge works: the road politely gets out of the river's way. High walkways link the towers about 42 metres above the Thames. They were designed so pedestrians could cross even when the roadway was raised; now the visitor route includes glass floor panels for anyone who fancies a look straight down at moving traffic. The towers, walkways and engine rooms require a ticket. The road-level crossing itself is free to walk, and there are lifts for the main visitor route; check the bridge's current access details before you go. Stand on the riverbank and wait for an opening if you can. Four million rivets and a great deal of Victorian nerve make a much better show when the bridge decides to move.

Photo: Mike Quinn, CC BY-SA 2.0

Then Tom went looking for the oddest places around it.

Stop 2 · Five minutes' walk

Golden Hinde

“Drake's ghost is in my knee.”

A Tudor galleon appears beside London Bridge, and suddenly the Thames looks ready to demand a passport and a cutlass. The Golden Hinde in St Mary Overie Dock is a full-size wooden reconstruction of Francis Drake's ship; step aboard and the low ceilings and steep ladders will soon have your knees negotiating their own treaty. This is no surviving sixteenth-century vessel, however impressively it carries itself. The reconstruction was launched at Appledore in Devon in 1973, then sailed oceans of its own before settling here on Bankside in 1996. Its museum tells two voyages: Drake's journey around the world from 1577 to 1580, and the modern ship's travels across the Atlantic. If a plank creaks underfoot, Tom says it is probably giving you a nautical opinion, not asking to return to sea. Explore the decks and you begin to grasp how tightly people, stores and ambitions were packed into a sailing ship. The operators welcome general visitors for self-guided visits, though private events can change the day's arrangements. This is a wooden galleon with five steps up from street level, narrow passages and levels linked by steep stairs or ladders, so check the access details before promising anyone an easy climb. There are no public toilets aboard either; pirates planned ahead. Look back from the dock and the joke sharpens: this ship has its own long story, distinct from the famous original it represents. You can walk aboard a reconstruction that actually travelled, then step out into the modern Borough streets and wonder which of the two histories had the stranger itinerary. Bring curiosity, comfortable shoes and perhaps a captain's voice, but leave the cannon commands to the professionals.

What the record says

Recorded as: Heritage attraction.

From OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors) w31248849

Photo: Philip Halling, CC BY-SA 2.0

More about Golden Hinde →

Stop 3 · 5 minutes down the road

The Postal Museum

“Mail rail for heavy jokes.”

The Postal Museum in London makes a letter feel like the start of an adventure, which is more than Tom can claim for most of his shopping lists. At Phoenix Place, displays follow the people and systems that carried news across Britain. Across the road, the old Mail Rail adds a startling underground chapter to what looks like a simple journey from one front door to another. For decades, small trains moved letters through tunnels beneath London, keeping mail away from crowded streets above. The museum explains that engineering while also telling the stories of post workers, stamps, sorting and communication. Mail Rail's platforms and route survive from the working railway, and the visitor ride uses them to open a usually hidden part of the city. The museum and the ride occupy separate buildings on the same street. Check the operator's current tickets before travelling, especially if you want the train ride; it is included with some admissions but has timed places and access limits. The museum galleries can be visited as their own experience. Look at an ordinary letter or tool and ask how many hands and decisions helped it reach its destination. That labour is the real marvel behind the red pillar box. Tom says his correspondence once required a special railway because the jokes were too heavy for a postbag. The railway's real cargo was far more useful. Visit, trace one message across the system, and see London from a postal worker's side of the counter.

What the record says

Recorded as: Museum.

From OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors) n4973585223

Photo: Gaius Cornelius, CC BY-SA 4.0

Burlington Arcade

“Don't whistle, the Beadles are watching.”

Burlington Arcade slips between Piccadilly and Bond Street like a narrow, elegant shortcut that expects you to slow down. Light falls through its glazed roof onto shopfronts made for lingering. Tom says the uniformed Beadles can tell whether a visitor has whistled before he even opens his mouth; best give them a wave and look at the ceiling. The covered Mayfair arcade opened in 1819, commissioned by Lord George Cavendish. Its long passage offered fashionable shopping away from the noise of the street, and the shops still prize carefully displayed goods. Beadles have watched over the place since its early days, carrying traditions that make the arcade feel different from an ordinary modern mall. The tale that Cavendish also wanted to stop neighbours throwing oyster shells into his garden is part of the arcade's own story; enjoy it as a lively origin tale, then look at the built result. You can walk through the arcade without buying anything, though it has gates and its own trading hours. Check the arcade's current information before a special trip. Its luxury shops may be beyond your budget, but the architecture is available to anyone passing through. Enter at one end, look up at the roof, then watch how the perspective compresses rows of windows and displays. Keep to the Beadles' rules: running, cycling and loud behaviour are discouraged here. Tom will probably try a whistle just to test the legend. Walk on before he does. The reward is a short London passage that still knows how to make a few minutes feel like an occasion.

What the record says

Recorded as: Heritage attraction.

From OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors) w652441797

Photo: Anthony O'Neil, CC BY-SA 2.0

More about Burlington Arcade →

Stop 5 · Hop back in the car, 10 minutes

Surrey Docks Farm

“Goats on dock duty, I swear.”

Surrey Docks Farm keeps goats, gardens and fields beside the Thames at Rotherhithe, and Tom says the animals have been given the old wharf's shipping schedule to organise. They have much better things to do. This working city farm lets you meet food and farming in a place shaped by London's river trade. The farm began in 1975 on derelict dockland near Greenland Dock and moved to South Wharf in 1986. Its riverside ground was once a shipyard, timber wharf, smallpox receiving station and river fire station. Follow the history trail to find that past beneath today's pens and planting. Goats, sheep, cows, pigs and poultry share the site with vegetable plots and an orchard. This community farm cares for animals and teaches about food. Tom claims the goats check a cargo manifest; they are simply goats, and the transformation of an old wharf is story enough. The farm is free to visit and publishes current hours and visitor rules on its website. Enter from the Thames Path gates on Rotherhithe Street, then follow the marked route. There are paved paths, though animals, volunteers and deliveries are part of a working site. Dogs are permitted on leads. Feed animals only under the farm's arrangements; do not bring scraps. Organised groups need booking, and some activities cost extra. Donations help support the animals. Leave room for a river walk as well as time in the yard. Tom has taken the goats off imaginary dock duty. Go through the gate and see how a London wharf became a living farm.

What the record says

Recorded as: Heritage attraction.

Photo: Peter Trimming, CC BY-SA 2.0

More about Surrey Docks Farm →

The whole day on one map

See everything else around Tower Bridge →

Over a million places across Ireland and Britain, all free. Explorer Tom has a story for nearly every one.