Thames guide

Filming a Tower Bridge lift

A Tower Bridge lift is one of London’s great shots. How to get one on camera, and what to plan for.

By the Cinecraft team: skippers and drone pilotsFacts checked 7 Oct 20262 min read

At a glance

Tower Bridge lifts for vessels 30 feet or taller, booked with 24 hours’ notice, and lifts are free.
You can film a lift that is already scheduled, or book one with a tall vessel of your own.
Tower Bridge publishes its lift times, so a scheduled lift can be planned for.
Tower Bridge is inside the City of London restricted area (R158), so aerials need permission through NATS.

Two ways to get a lift

Film a scheduled lift. Tower Bridge publishes its lift times. We put the camera boat in position for one that is already booked, and you film it as it happens.

Book one with a tall boat. A vessel 30 feet or taller can book a lift with 24 hours’ notice, and the lift is free. If the shot needs a boat going through the open bridge, we can find the vessel and book the lift with it.

Tower Bridge at dusk from the water, under a pink and blue sky — Tower Bridge from the water at dusk, coming down through the Upper Pool.

The foredeck of a boat approaching Tower Bridge from the Upper Pool at dusk — Tower Bridge from the water at dusk, coming down through the Upper Pool.

Where to film from

From the water you can sit downstream with the bridge opening towards you, upstream with the City behind it, or alongside the boat going through. The Pool of London side is busy, with river buses, sightseeing boats and moored ships, so the skipper times each position to the traffic. Fixed positions on the bridge or the riverside need their owners’ agreement.

Timing

A lift is over in minutes, so every camera has to be rolling and in position before it starts. Superyacht arrivals are the big ones: a yacht coming up through the open bridge with the City behind it.

Aerials

Tower Bridge and the Pool of London sit inside the City of London restricted area (R158), so a drone needs permission through NATS and clearance on the day, plus the PLA’s drone application if it flies from a boat.