Stephie Joslin from the GLA's London 2012 City Operations team talks about Tower Bridge’s new lights…

Stephie Joslin from the GLA's London 2012 City Operations team talks about Tower Bridge’s new lights...

On 31 May, a new lighting system was unveiled on London’s iconic Tower Bridge. It was the culmination of two years of hard work and a really excellent example of a public / private sector collaboration.

The Greater London Authority was instrumental in delivering the project, which was mainly funded by sponsors GE and EDF, along with City of London.

All the existing lighting, including public lighting, was replaced with new energy efficient LED lighting across the whole bridge. The previous system had been introduced in the 1980s, and the big difference is the way it looks.

Rather than just washing light onto the bridge, the new system really helps to bring out its unique architectural features. If you look at the bridge now, it appears much more gothic, as was originally intended, with lights in the towers, lights in the windows and amazing chain lighting.

Not only does the new lighting look better, it will be in place for the next 25 years. It will also save over 40 per cent in energy use. This means it will save over 7.5 m kw hours of energy during its life.

The new lighting really came to life this summer. We ran a light show every night during and between the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and turned the bridge gold every time Team GB and Paralympics GB won a gold medal.

It has now been returned to static lighting but will light up for many special occasions in the future. It’s given the City of London a fantastic legacy and will deliver real flexibility for the next 25 years.

Find out more: www.london.gov.uk/gifts/bright-lights