In the late 1800s, London was faced with the task of building a new span across the Thames, downstream of London Bridge. In order to allow tall-masted sailing ships to pass through to the Thames' port facilities, the new bridge could not be a typical street-level, fixed crossing.

In 1877, a committee was formed which held a public competition for a bridge design. After a contentious few years, the committee settled on the design of City Architect (and committee judge) Sir Horace Jones.

Jones’ design was a hybrid, with two suspension bridge spans reaching from the river banks to two towers in the middle of the river. The towers were connected by elevated walkways and a bascule bridge (more commonly known as a drawbridge) that could hydraulically raise to allow ships to pass.