Tower Bridge is one of London's most recognisable landmarks, and I've walked across it and admired it many times. But seeing the bridge open to allow a ship to pass through is quite a different experience.
On 15 October 2026, I found myself witnessing just that, completely by chance. And the funny thing is, I almost missed it!
My friend and I had spent a lovely afternoon exploring St Katharine Docks and enjoying an Asian afternoon tea. Afterwards, we decided to take a stroll along the River Thames.
As we approached the river, we could hear music playing loudly from a boat.
It was Hey Jude by the Beatles!
Now, who doesn't know Hey Jude? Naturally, I couldn't resist joining in. I asked my friend to film me while I sang along and moved to the music. I must admit, my singing probably wasn't up to much, but I was thoroughly enjoying myself!
There were crowds of people along the river, many filming with their phones and cameras. Our attention was focused on a large ship being guided along the Thames by two smaller boats. We were trying to work out what the ship was and why there was so much excitement.
And then came the surprise.
Tower Bridge was opening!
Would you believe that we were so distracted by the music and the ship that we almost missed the main event?
I'd seen Tower Bridge open only once before, so this was quite exciting.The bridge took less than a minute to rise, although the large ship took considerably longer to pass through.
At first, I thought the vessel might be HMS Belfast, but a bystander quickly corrected me.It was the Brazilian Navy training ship Brasil (U27), which had arrived in London on 10 October 2026 and was moored alongside HMS Belfast.
We happened to be there on 15 October, just as it was departing London and passing beneath Tower Bridge. What a wonderful coincidence! So there we were, quite by chance, watching a Brazilian naval ship making its way along the Thames beneath the raised Tower Bridge.
What an unexpected treat!
Fortunately, we stayed long enough to watch the bridge lowering again.
And here's the funny part. When I looked through our videos afterwards, I discovered that we had inadvertently captured the bridge opening in the background while I was busy singing along to Hey Jude!
What luck!
I nearly missed seeing it with my own eyes, but somehow managed to capture it on camera. I suppose there's a lesson there somewhere about paying attention to what's happening around you!
Travel Tip:
Tower Bridge lifts two or three times a day to let tall ships pass along the River Thames. You can check the official lifting times and updates on their website.
I wished I had known about this so we could have timed our visit perfectly!
Girl with a Dolphin — David Wynne, 1973
Our walk continued along the Thames towards Tower Bridge, where we came across an eye-catching bronze sculpture called Girl with a Dolphin, created by David Wynne.
The sculpture depicts a young woman appearing to dive alongside a dolphin, with the figures balanced above a fountain.It was beautiful and rather unusual. My friend was particularly amused by the fact that the girl was naked! We stopped to admire it and take a few photographs before continuing our stroll.
A Lovely Ending to the Day
We spent the rest of the afternoon walking along the Thames, watching the boats, enjoying the atmosphere and doing a little people-watching.
There was no rush to get anywhere.As the sun began to set, we lingered a little longer to enjoy the views. Looking back, it had been a wonderful day out. What began as a simple suggestion to visit St Katharine Docks had turned into an afternoon full of unexpected experiences.
And, of course, there was my impromptu performance of Hey Jude! It just goes to show that you don't always have to travel far to enjoy a memorable experience. Sometimes, a lovely surprise is waiting right on your doorstep.
More from our London day out
Before our unexpected Tower Bridge encounter, we'd spent a lovely afternoon exploring the marina at St Katharine Docks and enjoying an Asian afternoon tea.
You can read about that part of our outing in A Day Out at St Katharine Docks: A Marina and Afternoon Tea.
