Structure Name: New Tyne Bridge

Description:
 

Two-hinged arch bridge crossing the River Tyne. Trussed steel arch supporting a road bed, spanning a total distance of 382 metres. At each end are quasi-classical abutment towers containing lifts, and faced in Cornish granite.

'A two-hinged steel arch of 531 feet (161.4 m) span with a suspended road deck at 84 feet (25.5 m) above high water; massive concrete foundations support abutments for the hinges and the huge Cornish granite faced towers above; these towers are of minimal structural significance, and were designed to house warehouses, (never used as such), and goods and passenger lifts. The Newcastle approach road is carried on continuous steel girders supported by two pairs of octagonal steel columns, each pair being skewed to accommodate the existing street plan below.'
[Stafford Linsley's annotation]
 

Extant: Yes

Legal Status: Listed Building Grade II

Location: Newcastle upon Tyne, NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE

Eastings: 425300m (view map)

Northings: 563800m (view map)

Position Accuracy: 100m

Positional Confidence: Absolute Certainty

Structure Types Identified: ARCH BRIDGE, ROAD BRIDGE

Historical Background
 

'Newcastle's modern-day symbol was first proposed in 1921, to augment existing road and tram provision at high level and to provide a job creation scheme. The corporations of Newcastle and Gateshead, in anticipation of a 65% government grant toward construction, obtained an Act of Parliament in 1924. Work commenced in 1925. Special construction techniques were needed as the Tyne Improvement Commissioners insisted on full navigational clearance, both height and width, throughout the work and thereafter; they also claimed to be anxious to have the Swing Bridge removed and the High Level Bridge rebuilt with larger spans to make river traffic easier. The demand for full navigational clearance required a single span bridge with level deck, and the designers in effect came up with a reduced version of the bridge they had already designed for Sydney Harbour.

The Tyne Bridge was the largest single-span bridge in Britain at the time of opening (Hell Gate Bridge in New York, (1916) was a huge steel-arch span, measuring 977 feet long, and used a similar construction technique).

Seemingly there was only one death during the construction of the bridge, that of Nathaniel Colling, a steel erector, who fell to his death only weeks before the arch was completed; he is buried in Harton cemetery.'
[Stafford Linsley's annotation]
 

Chronology:

• 1924 - 1928   Conceived and built by: Mott, Hay and Anderson; R Burns Dick; Dorman, Long and Company's Bridge Division.
      Entities Involved:
            Burns Dick, R: Architect.
            Dorman Long & Co.: Carried out works.
            Mott, Hay & Anderson Building Design Partnership: Engineers.
            Walter MacFarlane & Company Ltd.: Manufactured the balustrades and lanterns for the bridge.
• 1928   10th October: Bridge opened by King George V.
      Entities Involved:
            King George V: King of the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Notes:

• Additional information about the structure type ARCH BRIDGE is available.
• Additional information about the structure type ROAD BRIDGE is available.

References:

• Images of England
• Images of England
• Side Photographic Gallery
• Tyne and Wear SMR

The information displayed in this page has been derived from authoritative sources, including any referenced above. Although substantial efforts were made to verify this information, the SINE project cannot guarantee its correctness or completeness.

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