Newcastle's iconic Tyne bridges in historic pictures

The Tyne Bridge and the Swing Bridge from the Newcastle side on September 19, 1963

The 145-year-old Swing Bridge – once the world’s largest swinging bridge – was due to swing open for the first time in 18 months but, in front of a large crowd, it seized up and caused such an embarrassment that it made the national news.

And the 93-year-old Tyne Bridge – once the world’s longest single span bridge – needs up to £40m of repairs, and the vexed question of who will foot the bill was the subject of a debate in the House of Commons.

All of this is without mentioning the travails of the company which built the 115-year-old King Edward VII Rail Bridge: Cleveland Bridge of Darlington. While the company fights for its future, the bridge that it completed in 1906 doesn’t seem to be causing as much angst as its neighbours over the Tyne.

Three iconic bridges of Newcastle from the air in September 1964: the High Level road and rail bridge at the top, the Swing Bridge in the middle, and the Tyne Bridge at the bottom

The bridges really are icons of Tyneside, if not the wider North East. In 2018, the Tyne Bridge’s listing was upgraded to Grade II*, making it among the most important six per cent of structures in the country, and Historic England said: “Its dramatic design and construction make it a real source of pride for Geordies as well as a representation of the North East’s steely attitude.”

It is true what they say about time, Tyne and tide – they all seem to be catching up with the bridges, but to show we really do love them, we’ve looked through The Northern Echo’s archives for some vintage pictures of them…

The Swing Bridge in Newcastle in September 1960

Swing Bridge

SINCE at least Roman times, this site has been the main crossing of the Tyne. However, in Victorian times, as industry took hold, the lowness of the existing stone bridge became a major inhibiting factor – the Durham coal arriving at staiths at Dunston had to be loaded into keels and rowed under the bridge to the larger ships waiting to take it to London.

So William Armstrong – the renowned inventor of everything from artillery to hydroelectricity – designed a bridge that could be swung through 90 degrees so ships could sail past it.

In 1865, a temporary bridge was built across the river so the Georgian stone bridge could be demolished and the new swing bridge take shape.

It took traffic for the first time on June 15, 1876, and completed its first swing on July 17, 1876, when an Italian navy vessel named Europa sailed past it to reach Armstrong’s shipbuilding yard at Elswick.

A smoky, industrial view of the Swing Bridge open in December 1932. Behind it is the High Level Bridge, through which we can see an advert for an oil abd grease company

Since then, it has swung open at least 300,000 times, allowing half-a-million vessels to pass – its peak swinging was 1924, when it opened 6,000 times. Its existence was a major factor in the success of the Durham coalfield, and the decline in the coalfield’s fortunes mirrored its own: when the Dunston staiths closed in 1980, the bridge’s openings became infrequent.

Three weeks ago, it was due to open for the first time in 18 months but, despite the large crowd, an “internal pressure valve deep” refused to work.

Historic England hailed the bridge as a “symbol of Tyneside’s industrial heritage and status”, and the Port of Tyne authority said its engineers would be working to get it swinging again.

Vital statistics
Opened: July 17, 1876
Cost: £240,000
Length: 171m (561ft)
Width: 14m (46ft)
Clearance: 4.4m (14.5ft)

The royal procession passing over the Tyne Bridge during the opening ceremony on October 10, 1928

Tyne Bridge

KING GEORGE V opened the iconic, parabolic bridge which bears his name on October 10, 1928.

King George V does something very important to open the Tyne Bridge on October 10, 1928

It was built by Dorman Long and it would act as a prototype for the Sydney Harbour Bridge which the Middlesbrough company would build three years later. During the Tyne Bridge’s construction, only one man – South Shields scaffolder Nathaniel Collin – was killed, which was regarded as a great health and safety achievement for the 1920s.

An undated, but early, view of the Tyne Bridge, with a tram approaching

The warehouses in its pillars, made of Cornish granite, were not complete on opening day, and have never been used. Lifts were installed in the pillars to bring passengers and goods up from the riverside, but these are no longer in use.

Trams went across it until 1950; now 70,000 vehicles a day go over it, and it is home the furthest inland colony of black legged kittiwakes in the world.

The Tyne Bridge in September 1960

It was last painted – an original green – in 2001, and now needs a complete overhaul so it can be ready for its centenary celebrations in 2028. This summer Newcastle City Council has lodged an £18.45m bid with the Government’s Levelling Up Fund to get that work underway, but if the money is not forthcoming, the council leader has said that they might have to “take the bridge out of action for cars and leave it for buses only”.

Looking down on the Tyne Bridge on December 29, 1971

Vital statistics
Opened: October 10, 1928
Cost: £700,000
Length: 389m (1,276ft)
Width: 17m (56ft)
Clearance: 26m (85ft)

A snowy approach to the Tyne Bridge in 1961

SO one iconic bridge that won’t swing and another that might not bear the weight of cars – what is Newcastle coming to?

According to the story accompanying this 1985 picture, Terry Donnelly "was sacked by his boss after he started doing stunts on top of the Tyne Bridge". It is not to be encouraged