27 Astonishing Things You Didn't Know About London
3. Tower Bridge Was A Hangout For Prostitutes
The modern-day Tower Bridge over the Thames River is clean and sanitary, but it wasn't always like that. In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the high-level open-air walkways between the towers gained an unsavoury reputation as a hangout for prostitutes. As the walkways were only accessible by steep stairs, they were seldom used by regular pedestrians. Given that the majority of people using the upper level were up to no good, the City of London decided to close the walkways in 1910. However, in 1982 they were reopened as part of the Tower Bridge Exhibition, one more giving law-abiding citizens the chance to enjoy the views from the top of the bridge.
Mike has lived in the UK, Japan and the USA. Currently, he is based in Iowa with his wife and 2 young children. After working for many years as a writer and editor for a large corporation, he is now a freelancer. He has been fortunate enough to contribute to many books on Doctor Who over the last 20 years and is now concentrating on original sci-fi & fantasy short stories, with recent sales including Flame Tree, Uffda, and The Martian Wave. Also, look for his contribution on Blake's 7 to "You and Who Else", a charity anthology to be released later this year.
You can find him on Tumblr at https://www.tumblr.com/blog/culttvmike
