Tower Bridge

Yesterday & Today
How we lived then & How we live now
fosney
Posts: 836
Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2017 4:18 pm

Re: Tower Bridge

Postby fosney » Tue Feb 28, 2017 3:15 pm

Posted by bermondseygirl

Hi Bermondsey Waller and rstupple
I too took my grandchildren last year to Tower Bridge and made them stand on the join and waited for a bus to go over. They are boys aged eight and eleven and live in Bulgaria now. I too didnt think that it shuddered as much as when I used to before. They did enjoy it though. Can remember one day when my mum was going to work in the City on a No 78 bus. The bus in front of her actually jumped across the bridge as it had started to go up with the bus on it. Can anyone else remember that story.I also liked that wooden lift at the Elephant and Castle. You got in one side and then out the other side. I loved watching the man pull back the metal inner door.

Bermondseygirl

fosney
Posts: 836
Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2017 4:18 pm

Re: Tower Bridge

Postby fosney » Wed Mar 01, 2017 12:13 pm

Posted by bermondseywaller

v 5 10 12:51 PM

Hi Bermondseygirl
I also remember the bus jumping the gap at Tower Bridge, sure it was the early 70's although maybe it was one of those events that has become a bit of an Urban Myth. Never went to the National Art Gallery but spent many a sunday afternoon at the Imperial War Musuem, think the fact that the events of WWII were still very much in evidence with all the bomb sites etc and the fact that our parents/families and neighbours had all lived through the horrors made it very real.
Your Dad sounds like a man after my own heart. I tell both my sons that if they can read they can learn anything. So far they seem to be taking that on board and both love books and love the library although our local has none of the grandeur of Bermondsey library that was.
Dawn

times were hard but "IT NEVER DID ME ANY HARM"

fosney
Posts: 836
Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2017 4:18 pm

Re: Tower Bridge

Postby fosney » Wed Mar 01, 2017 12:22 pm

Posted by bermondseygirl



i Bermondseywaller
I think the bus jumping over tower bridge was in the 1960s. I got married in 1964 and was living in Bermondsey then and my mum was working in the city. I expect we could google it. Nice to read your comments.

Bermondseygirl

fosney
Posts: 836
Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2017 4:18 pm

Re: Tower Bridge

Postby fosney » Wed Mar 01, 2017 12:24 pm

Posted by freddie


Hi Bermondseywaller
I think the bus jumping over tower bridge was in the 1960s. I got married in 1964 and was living in Bermondsey then and my mum was working in the city. I expect we could google it. Nice to read your comments.
-bermondseygirl

There's a few references to this on the web. One of the best is:
http://carolineld.blogspot.com/2008/07/ ... .htmlquote:
"This really happened to one bus driver, Albert Gunter, on the evening of 28 December 1952. He was driving the number 78 to Dulwich, a busy double decker, when something went wrong and he found himself on a rapidly opening bridge. Amazingly, the driver had the nerve to accelerate and jump the gap between the two bascules. The bus made the leap - about 3 feet by that point - successfully, and nobody was seriously injured. Albert Gunter received a reward of £10 for his bravery."

A couple of other sites say it was the 30th December. Which just goes to show you as I always thought the bus was heading in the other direction, towards the Tower!

fosney
Posts: 836
Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2017 4:18 pm

Re: Tower Bridge

Postby fosney » Wed Mar 01, 2017 12:30 pm

Posted by bermondseygirl




Hi re the No 78 bus jumping the Tower Bridge. I am sure it happened in the morning and it was going to the City as my mum was on her way to work. Website highlighted says it was in the evening but I think this a mistake as my mother never worked in the evening. I can remember her telling me the story when I came home from school and we used to chat over a cup of tea.

Bermondseygirl

fosney
Posts: 836
Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2017 4:18 pm

Re: Tower Bridge

Postby fosney » Wed Mar 01, 2017 12:31 pm

Posted by freddie


Hi BG,

I was like you, thought it was a morning no.78 (heading north towards Aldgate). A kid in my class at school said it was his mum's normal ride to work, but she missed it and got the next one. The reports on the web all say evening. eg:
"At 9:35 pm on 30 December 1952, a crowded double-decker London bus, on route 78 to Dulwich, was on the bridge as it began to open. The driver had to choose between braking hard or accelerating and jumping the bridge. He decided to accelerate and jumped over the gap successfully as the bridge started to open."

fosney
Posts: 836
Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2017 4:18 pm

Re: Tower Bridge

Postby fosney » Wed Mar 01, 2017 12:39 pm

Posted by bermondseygirl


Hi Freddie
Yes it was the 78 bus behind the one that jumped the bridge my mum was on too. She saw it all. The stop light went on just as the bus got on to the bridge so he put his foot down and kept going. Dont think the bridge was up very much actually. She too was going to Aldgate. It definately was in the morning. It must have been after the rush hour as she worked as a waitress and didnt get in that early. She always left after I had gone off to school.


Bermondseygirl

fosney
Posts: 836
Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2017 4:18 pm

Re: Tower Bridge

Postby fosney » Wed Mar 01, 2017 12:49 pm

Regarding the discussion on Tower Bridge and what happened with the bus, possibly it should not happen today because, if I remember rightly, don't they now shut the gates? And in those days they just put a chain across the road.

Will someone confirm this please

Picture of Tower Bridge late 1940s
b1b695f6a184e7f46ff056d6719138ce5eebc2b4.jpg
882d30755388a3d63562a1f738463e4e1ae02514.jpg
1489f90857261ca4df95538cf291ab51a30e85a7.jpg

fosney
Posts: 836
Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2017 4:18 pm

Re: Tower Bridge

Postby fosney » Wed Mar 01, 2017 12:52 pm

Postedd by jimmica


no lights. no gates. just a copper with his hand up once one car had stopped then he dragged that flimsy chain across the road how that bus got past that copper i'll never know.maybe he was chatting to some bird? i thought this was an urban myth

fosney
Posts: 836
Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2017 4:18 pm

Re: Tower Bridge

Postby fosney » Thu Mar 23, 2017 3:03 pm

Posted by rstupple2


Hi Bermondsy Peeps,
Everytime I look on this site another memory comes flooding back, Seeing Tower Bridge going up evoked some more, At fifteen starting work in the city, being Lazy used to used to jump on a 47 bus to the city but when the Bridge was up easier to walk traffic used to grind to a halt. Also when we were kids when the bridge was down used to run to stand on the middle as a Bus or lorry went by. Simple pleasures when I tell my kids & Grandaughter about that they look at me as if I am mad. Rick


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