Bridges On The Tyne

SOUTH TYNE - FEATHERSTONE BRIDGE

"Featherstone Castle, described by Cadwallader Bates, expert on castles and restorer of Langley Castle as 'perhaps the lovliest tower in the country'"

Quoted in Waters Of Tyne, A River Journey Through History. T H Rowland. 1991.

The bridge here is eighteenth century and of stone, with a curious lopsided appearance. It links two minor roads just two miles south of Haltwhistle and is set in wooded countryside with a few houses set back off the road on the west bank. Its single pointed arch is high above the river and the roadway is narrow, only 14 feet (4 metres). In 1967 a ten ton weight limit was imposed and repairs were carried out in 1968 and 1969, giving the arch a new saddle and providing tie rods to pin the bridge together. The river here can experience high levels, with flooding further downstream. Lead ore from Cumbrian mines upriver was carried over the bridge to Haltwhistle where it was smelted. Grade 2 listed.

 Featherstone Bridge Facts


Constructed - 1775
Type - arch, single span of 27 metres, segmental, stone.
Position - 2 miles southwest of Haltwhistle, Northumberland.
Grid Ref: NY 675 619
 Featherstone Bridge




© Bridges On The Tyne 2006