FORMER TYNE BRIDGES
The most famous of the early medieval Tyne bridges was undoubtedly that between Gateshead and Newcastle - the 'Old Tyne Bridge'
Tyne And Tide - A Celebration Of The River Tyne. David Archer. 2003
Several old bridges on the Tyne are no longer there having been either swept away by the Tyne in flood or replaced when they were inadequate for the increased traffic or because they obstructed river navigation or even just outlived their usefulness by being too costly to repair.
The Roman bridges, including one near Corbridge, probably had a long life and when they were eventually beyond repair were replaced by ford or ferry. The medieval period saw some bridge building, including a bridge at Chipchase on the North Tyne for which no details are available, as the necessary skills were re-discovered, but the eighteenth century was when bridge building began in earnest. Floods claimed all but one of the Tyne's bridges in 1771 but rebuiding took place and the Victorian era saw the second wave of bridge building and replacement of more old bridges. Some early wooden rail bridges needed replacing too.
In the twentieth century new bridges replaced old once again, and it seems likely that this pattern will contiuue with only those bridges having listed status for engineering of historical merit will ultimately survive. Repairs to our older bridges are very costly and closure for repair causes enormous disruption to traffic so that a new bridge will probably be increasingly seen as a better solution. This section looks at some of the old bridges and the reasons for their demise.
- Roman bridge at Newcastle - 122AD.
- Medieval bridge at Newcastle - 13th century.
- Georgian bridge at Newcastle - date not known.
- 1st Redheugh bridge - 1871.
- 2nd Redheugh bridge - 1901.
- Scotswood Chain Bridge - 1831.
- Border Counties railway bridge at Hexham - 1856.
- Roman bridge at Chesters. Chipchase bridge - medieval, gone by mid-18th Century.
