As London developed in the latter half of the 19th century, it became clear that the East End of London was becoming more and more commercially important. It was decided that London needed a new Bridge crossing the Thames River. The problem was that the river could not be closed off to the tall-masted ships that still sailed up the Thames.

So, a special committee was convened to decided what should be done and they opened up a competition to would be bridge designers. They received over 50 design ideas for a new Thames crossing. It took them nearly eight years to decide on the winner – which is the current iconic bridge designed by Sir Horace Jones (who happened to be on the committee which probably greased the wheels!).

We’ve managed to dig up several pictures of the alternative designs – some of which are really cool.

Check them out below (click an image to view a larger version):

Which alternative design is your favorite?