14/07/2008 03:37:00
London's Tower Bridge is set to undergo a three-year restoration in which its withering exterior will be stripped to reveal an original framework. This will be the first time the Tower Bridge has seen any such restoration in its 114-year history.
Eric Sutherns, operations manager at Tower Bridge in London, told the Times yesterday: "If you give [the bridge] a close inspection, you can see it's getting pretty grubby. The blue in particular is very faded."
Tower Bridge originally donned a chocolate brown colour until it was re-painted in red, white and blue to celebrate the Queen's Jubilee in 1977. At that time, the new paint was simply slathered on top of the old, brown coat.
However, modern health and safety regulations call for the original lead-based paint to be removed. The operation is thus expected to reach vast proportions - and will certainly call for major precautions. All scaffolding will be enclosed with airtight seals to prevent lead dust from falling into the river or on to pedestrians.
Restoration of the landmark follows a trend after the Tower of London entered renovation, back in April.
The facelift on Tower Bridge - which will require 22,000 litres of white and blue paint - is expected to cost more than £4 million. But who will foot the bill for this costly makeover? None other than a group of monks who invested the money they collected from bridge tolls dating back to 1097. Their trust, the Bridge House Estates, now £700 million, will pay for the repainting of Tower Bridge.
Only a quarter of Tower Bridge will be refurbished at any one time in order to minimise disruption to road and river traffic.
Mr Sutherns assured the public that the bridge would not be completely obscured by scaffolding. He told the Times, "People will still be able to take their photo from angles where you can't see the work going on."