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Stripped down as you've never seen her: Pictures of Tower Bridge during construction found dumped in a skip

This is one of the London's most beloved landmarks as you've never seen her before.

Stripped down to her underwear, the never before seen pictures of Tower Bridge - one of the world's most recognisable structures - have been unveiled after the stash of hundred-year-old prints were found in a skip.

Coinciding with the 125th anniversary of the bridge's foundation, the 50 sepia photos reveal in incredible detail the ingenuity behind one of the capital's most popular tourist destinations, which was the first bridge of its kind in the world.

Never seen before: The pictures of London's Tower Bridge were found in a skip and then wrapped up in brown paper and put in a carrier bag under a bed

The unique pictures, dating back to 1892, document the construction the iconic bridge, which at the time was a landmark feat of engineering nicknamed ‘The Wonder Bridge’.

The discarded pictures, which were retrieved by a caretaker who was looking after a building being turned into flats in 2006, have spent the last five years in a carrier bag underneath his bed.

 

The 59-year-old, who wishes to remain anonymous, said that after the occupants of the Westminster office building moved out, the album and a number of documents were thrown into a skip outside.

He said: ‘I took the ledgers to the Tower Bridge Museum because I thought they might have some historical value.

Remarkable find: The prints reveal in incredible detail the ingenuity behind one of the capital's most popular tourist attractions and how it was put together

A view of the bridge: The sturdy steel frame of Tower Bridge can be seen, before it was covered with its distinctive stone-cladding on the orders of architect John Wolfe-Barry

‘They included records of the materials and used in the bridge's construction and what they cost.

‘I told the man at the museum that I had also found some photos but he told me they already had plenty of those.

‘I didn't know what to do with them so I wrapped them in some brown paper and put them in a bag under the bed.’ It wasn't until earlier this month, when the owner of the photos mentioned them to his neighbour, City of Westminster tour guide Peter Berthoud that the significance of the find fully emerged.

Mr Berthoud, an expert in the history of London who gives guided tours around famous landmarks including Tower Bridge, said he was gobsmacked by the haul.

Stripped down: The photographs show how the bridge was put together over eight years, revealing why it was nicknamed at the time the 'Wonder Bridge'

Landmark: Tower Bridge remains one of the capital's most iconic structures and a tourist attraction today, 125 years after building started

Sepia to silver screen: The incomplete Tower Bridge features in the 2009 film Sherlock Holmes, where Holmes battles with his adversary Lord Henry Blackwood

And contrary to popular misconception, the images reveal the bridge is a sturdy steel frame beneath the instantly recognisable stone-cladding.

Mr Berthoud said: ‘When my neighbour gave me a disk with the images on I just couldn't believe it.‘I spent hours going through my books to see if these pictures were already around, but I couldn't see them anywhere - they are totally unique.

‘Quite simply London Bridge is the world's most iconic bridge, and it's the only bridge over the Thames which has never needed to be replaced at some point.

Discovery: Peter Berthoud was gobsmacked when his neighbour showed him the haul of photos. He spent hours going through books to find something similar, only to discover they are totally unique

Transformation: The bridge took eight years to build and at the time was a landmark feat of engineering, combining elements of a suspension and high level bridge and a bascule

‘It combines elements of a suspension bridge, a high level bridge and a bascule which allows it to open for ships to pass.

‘Nothing had ever been made like it before, and nothing since.

‘People are always surprised when I tell them Tower Bridge is a steel bridge, as the stone cladding is so recognisable.’

According to the tour guide, the bridge's original architect, Horace Jones, wanted to clad the bridge in brick, however, following his death he was succeeded as architect by John Wolfe-Barry who decreed the bridge should be clad in stone.

Development: Photos show the progress in the construction process, from basic structures to something easily recognisable as Tower Bridge as we know it today

Unique: Many of the 50 sepia prints are in good condition, despite dating back to 1892. Several are even dated, making it possible to trace the progress in construction

Although many of the century-old pictures are in a state of disrepair, around 20 are in good condition. Many of the 12 by 10 snaps are dated and clearly show how the bridge was put together over a space of eight years. Memorable scenes include turn-of-the-century labourers taking orders from a site foreman in a bowler hat, and a shot if the bridge's original steam-powered engine room, which could open the bridge in less than a minute.

In one poignant picture flags decorate the body of the bridge and a hand-written pencil note reads: ‘Note, flags denote Mr Hunter's wedding day’. Mr Berthoud said: ‘My favourite pictures of the simple, humble guys building the bridge, unaware that what they are making will be so historic. ‘People are so used to seeing images of the Empire State Building being built, but this is part of British history being created 50 years earlier.’

Making a splash: Specialist swimming centre opens first pool just for babies

They may still be wet behind the ears, but these water babies are taking to swimming as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Newborns are perfectly prepared for an aquatic environment from being in the womb, according to the owners of the adapted pool in west London.

Now, London Baby Swim is opening the UK's first purpose-built centre solely for the smallest swimmers from six weeks old, in Wandsworth, south London.

Water baby: A tentative swimmer takes his first strokes at London Baby Swim in Osterley

Embracing the waves: A happy child tries out some new moves at the west London centre

'Nine months in a water environment means babies are perfectly prepared to swim from birth,' said Phil Shaw, 51, joint operations director of the company along with Ana Torres, 36.

'Most parents sign their children up for baby swimming because they want them to be safe around water.

'Once they start a course, they start to discover the other hidden benefits.'

He said that very young children can gain vital skills for their development through swimming at an early age - so there is no longer any excuse for tears at bath-time.

'We are helping babies to make new brain connections and strengthen their learning through exercise and stimulation,' he said.

'Introducing babies to swimming early improves babies and children's development in many areas - physically, intellectually, language development, emotionally and socially.

'We are very proud to see not only how much the babies enjoy the classes but how they improve their abilities in the water.'

All I want for Christmas: A festive youngster enjoys the early gift of frolicking underwater

Learning the crawl: Another baby paddles happily in the heated pool

The specially designed 10,000 gallon pool will be heated to a comfortable 33c and the four-foot deep water will take classes of up to eight babies at a time.

They will learn turns, submersions and floating techniques before they can crawl - on land and in the water.

Special UV light is currently used at the Osterley centre to keep the water clean and reduce the amount of chlorine necessary, so the pool is kind to babies' sensitive skin.

Mr Shaw added: 'Babies have a natural ability for swimming, having a different reflex that makes them perfect candidates for swimming.

'Healthy babies are born with extremely sophisticated natural reflexes that protect them from any harm and are very important as they promote their survival.

'At London Baby Swim we work around these reflexes to turn them into deliberate actions.'

Dummy run: A computer-generated image of how the four-foot pool in Wandsworth will look

Taking the plunge: The first pool of its kind in the UK is bound to be a hit with adventurous babies and parents

He explained how babies' biological affinity for the water works. 'A babies' gag reflex is activated when water enters the mouth,' he said.

'Parts of the throat called the glottis and epiglottis close to prevent water from entering. This provides a watertight seal to the lungs while your baby is submerged.

'This is why you often see babies swimming with their mouths open.

'Babies also have what is called "the amphibian reflex". This is an involuntary movement of their arms, legs and torso, which helps us to introduce turns, rotations and kicking in our lessons.'

Instructors at London Baby Swim take a five-week induction course - which costs up to £114 - to ensure they know exactly how to look after babies in the pool.

Exploded Flowers By Fong Qi Wei

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Inspired by Todd McLellan’s Disassembly series, Singaporean photographer Fong Qi Wei went deeper than just taking photos of flowers and created an amazing series of Exloded Flowers – images that show the radial symmetry of flowers.

Qi Wei explains:

“The act of disassembly (I hesitate to use the term dissection because this series is not meant to be a scientific treatise) lays bare the various shapes and textures of the flowers, and what is interesting to me is how much more expanded some flowers can get when they are disassembled – the relative surface area to size of a rose is so much greater compared to a larger flower like the sunflower.Also, as a medium that captures a moment in time – which was made clear when I noticed dried gerbera petals after only a single night – the use of photography captures the beauty and intricacies of nature’s flowers in the moment of full bloom, and at the same time let you have a different appreciation of their beauty.”

Rose

Sunflower

Lotus

Untitled Purple Flower

Dahlia

Rose

Eustoma

Hydrangea

Orchid

Lily

Peruvian Lily

Carnation

Chrysanthenum

Gerbera

Lily

Gerbera