Then and now: A familiar Tyne scene
THE Tyne Bridge recently turned 90. It may be the most famous, but it’s certainly not the oldest of the crossings that span the river between Newcastle and Gateshead.
Our then-and-now photographs show the Tyne Bridge’s nearest neighbours, the Swing and High Level Bridges.
One hundred years apart, if the bridges appear in many ways almost identical, so much has changed on the river and on wider Tyneside.
The double-deck, High Level Bridge opened to rail traffic, without ceremony, on August 15, 1849 - and entered everyday use on February 4, 1850.
It was built – and opened – more or less in tandem with Newcastle Central Station, for the first time enabling passengers and goods to travel between London and Edinburgh as the new rail network spread rapidly across Britain.
On a rainy September 28, 1849, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, travelling in the royal train, stopped on the High Level Bridge on their way from Balmoral to London to take part in its inauguration ceremony.
It was reported: “Her Majesty’s entrance into the borough of Newcastle was recognised by a salute of 21 guns from the Old Castle.” Meanwhile, “the bells of St Nicholas sent forth merry peals; and military bands awakened attention”.
The Swing Bridge opened to road traffic - horses and carts - just over two and half decades later, on June 25, 1876.
It was built on the site of the three earlier Tyne Bridges, including its immediate predecessor - a low, Georgian arched bridge which inconveniently prevented larger vessels from getting any further up the Tyne.
At the time of it construction it was the world’s largest swing bridge, allowing room for ships 32 metres wide. It cost £240,000 to build around £30m in today’s money.
The hydraulic (water-powered) machinery used to open the bridge to a 90-degree angle was designed by William Armstrong and manufactured at his factory.
When the bridge opened, the fact it could “swing” open allowed large ships to sail upriver for the first time, enabling them to reach Armstrong’s Elswick works and Dunston Staiths as trade on the Tyne boomed.
Back then, we built things in factories and shipyards, and we dug coal out of the ground. Today, we sell, we provide services, and we speculate. The old industrial Tyneside is gone, but its bridges remain.