FORMER BRIDGES AND FORDS

Like most rivers, the Tees has been fordable in several places and some of these were eventually replaced by bridges. The Tees is not fordable below Yarm. some bridges have themselves been replaced when destroyed in times of flood or if they have had structural problems which rendered them unsafe, or simply if they became inadequate for modern traffic. Some ferries have operated on the Tees at various times, though none remain.

The railway resulted in new bridges being built but most of these are now closed and some have been demolished.

The photograph at right is the Fawcett (or Forcett), railway viaduct east of Gainford and the plan below (right hand side, bottom) is the Sockburn Arch Bridge

Former Bridges

Crossing the Tees Viaduct near Barnard Castle about 1961 on a Middleton-in-Teesdale train. The junction for the branch line was quarter of a mile west of the viaduct.

BRIDGES
Stockton, 1771, Grid Reference NZ 449 184 - bridge replaced by Victoria Bridge.
Stockton Railway bridge, suspension - 1830
Stockton Railway bridge - iron plate girder - 1882.
Yarm Bridge - 1805, Grid Reference NZ 418 132 - replaced by present bridge.
Bowesfield Pipe Bridge - 1865, near Bowesfield, Teesside, Grid Reference NZ 447 175 - wrought iron, lattice girder, 3 spans, demolished.
Pountey's Bridge, near Middleton One Row, Grid Reference NZ 346 121 - Roman Road bridge - date not known.
Sockburn Bridge, Sockburn, Grid Reference NZ 351 071, main arch of wood, with red sandstone arches/piers at either end (cost - about £1200), later converted to a cable suspension bridge, private bridge, stone abutments remain. - 1837. Demolished by river debris 1980s. (see illustration above).
Dalton/Rockcliffe Hall, 1870, near Dalton, Grid Reference NZ 295 086 - wrought iron lattice girder, 4 span, private bridge, demolished about 1960, abutments remain.
Croft bridge, Grid Reference NZ 290 098 - timber medieval bridge, 14th century, replaced by present bridge.
Merrybent railway, 1870, Low Coniscliffe, Grid Reference NZ 246 134 - wrought iron, lattice girder, 3 span, demolished 1952, A1(M) bridge on same site.
Piercebridge, Grid Reference NZ 211 156 - 13th century bridge, rebuilt/replaced by present bridge, (also a Roman bridge just downstream.)
Forcett railway bridge, near Gainford, Grid Reference NZ 181 164 - arch, masonry, 5 span, 1867, demolished 1982.
Startforth Footbridge, 1871, Grid Reference NZ 049 160 - replaced by present bridge
Barnard Castle, Grid Reference NZ 048 164 - medieval, rebuilt/replaced by present bridge.
Tees Railway Viaduct, 1856, near Barnard Castle, Grid Reference NZ 040 175, lattice girder, 5 spans, masonry piers, 35 metres high - 1860, later strengthened, demolished 1971, abutments remain. (see illustration above).
Eggleston Bridge, about 1450, Grid Reference NY 997 232 - medieval, rebuilt/replaced by present bridge.
Step Ends Footbridge, Middleton-in-Teesdale, Grid Reference NY 949 249, wooden beams on wrought iron trestle - 1869, washed away in flood, 1881.
Middelton-in-Teesdale Bridge, 1811, Grid Reference NY 947 253 - collapsed before completion.
Scoberry Footbridge, 1881, Grid Reference NY 910 274 - replaced by present bridge 1971.
Wynch Bridge, mid 18th century, Grid Reference NY 904 279 - collapsed 1802, replaced by present bridge.
Holwick Head bridge, 1896, Grid Reference NY 889 283 - rebuilt 1998.
Cauldron Snout Footbridge, near the falls, Grid Reference NY 814 287 - timber, date not known, demolished about 1966. Also an earlier footbridge, late 19th century.

Former Fords and Ferries

FORDS and FERRIES
Middlesbrough and Clarence ferry - at Port Clarence.
Newport ferry - at Billingham Beck.
Stockton ferry 1 - to Thornaby to east of present Princess of Wales bridge.
Stockton ferry 2 - near other ferry.
Stockton ford - west of ferry.
High Worsall ford - leading to Newsham Grange.
Far Deanside ford - west of High Worsall.
Low Moor Farm ford - leading to Low Middleton.
Low Middleton ferry - private ferry just upstream from the ford.
Middleton-St-George/Dinsdale Park ferry - just east of Pountney's Bridge (where there was also a ford).
County ford - Dinsdale Park/Middleton-St-George near site of Pountney's bridge.
Girsby ford - site of present bridge, pre-dates ferry and bridge.
Girsby ferry - no bridge or ford.
Sockburn ferry 1 - private ferry near East Sockburn farm.
Sockburn ferry 2- near Woodhead.
Neasham ferry - Neasham.
Neasham ford - Neasham.
Hurworth ford - east end of village.
Hurworth ferry - west end of village near Rectory.
Cleasby ford - Cleasby, end of Wood Lane.
Cleasby ferry - Cleasby, and just west of Low Coniscliffe.
Watermill Doors ford - west of Low Consicliffe.
Holmeshouse Cottages ford - south of High Consicliffe.
Woodhouse Farm ford - west of Piercebridge, south of White Cross.
Gainford ferry 2 - near vicarage and church.
Gainford ferry 1 - private ferry on river bend south of village. (see illustration above).
Gainford, Watergate to Boat Lane, until 1935.
Gainford, Boat Pool to Boat Scar.
Wycliffe Farm ford - east of Whorlton Beck, and a ferry here from Whortlon to Wycliffe until 1850s.
Egglestone Abbey ford - near Throsgill Beck.
Barnard Castle stepping stones west of Startforth Bridge (not then built).
Cotherstone ford - downstream from River Balder.
Park end ford - about 1 m west of Middleton.
Howgill House ford - west of Low Force.
Holmforth Islands ford and stepping stones - southwest of Widdybank Farm, onto island in Tees.

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