Bridges On The Wear

SHINCLIFFE BRIDGE

"A pretty tree-lined main street with high verges and rows of late C18 and C19 cottages, some with classical detail, many 'improved' by Durham commuters."

The Buildings of England, County Durham. Nikolaus Pevsner. 1983..

The first bridge going upstream after leaving Durham is an old stone bridge a little north of the village. It is set in rural surroundings with a footpath on the east bank leading into Durham. The bridge replaced two medieval ones and was widened when a steel footbridge was added on the west (upstream) side sometime after World War Two. The first bridge was built about 1400 by Bishop Skirlaw who was also responsible for building a bridge at Bishop Auckland. It collapsed about 1540 and was rebuilt, but was destroyed in 1753 and again rebuilt. It was thought to be too narrow and so was again replaced in 1826 by the present bridge at a point just downstream by County Surveyor Ignatius Bonomi.

Shincliffe is an attractive village on the hill to the east of the Wear with High Shincliffe a little further away. There are woods and Shincliffe Park nearby.


 Shincliffe Bridge Facts


Constructed - 1826; footbridge 20C.
Type - arch, stone, 2 arches; footbridge, beam, steel girder.
Position: - Shincliffe, County Durham.
Grid Ref: NZ 288 411


 Shincliffe Bridge



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