Today, June 30, 2019, marks the 125th anniversary of our beloved London landmark. A good time to delve into its back story...

The below image represents how Tower Bridge might have looked. More than 50 designs were submitted, including the below by Sir Joseph Bazalgette.

The judging process was highly controversial, but a design by Sir Horace Jones - who sat on the panel - was eventually approved.

Jones died soon after construction began and George D. Stevenson took over, giving Jones's original brick facade a more ornate Gothic style.

The bridge originally linked Iron Gate, on the north bank, with Horselydown Lane, on the south. Those roads are now known as Tower Bridge Approach and Tower Bridge Road, respectively.