Tyne Bridges, Newcastle upon Tyne

The Tyne Bridge was designed by Mott, Hay and Anderson who based their design on the Hell Gate Bridge in New York (which was completed in 1916). The bridge was completed on 25 February 1928 and opened on 10 October by King George V and Queen Mary, who were the first to use the roadway travelling in their Ascot landau.
The bridge was originally painted green with special paint made by J. Dampney Co. of Gateshead. The same colours were used to paint the bridge in 2000. The bridge spans 531 feet (162 m) and the road deck is 84 feet (26 m) above the river level.
It originally carried the A1 in to Newcastle but when the Tyne Tunnel opened in 1967 the A1 was diverted away from the bridge.

The Tyne Bridge is a through arch bridge over the River Tyne in North East England, linking Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead. It was designed by the engineering firm Mott, Hay and Anderson, who later designed the Forth Road Bridge, and was built by Dorman Long and Co. of Middlesbrough. At the time of its construction it was the world's longest single span bridge. The bridge was officially opened on 10 October 1928 by King George V and has since become a defining symbol of Tyneside. It currently stands as the tenth tallest structure in the city.

Work started in August 1925 with Dorman Long acting as the building contractors. Despite the dangers of the building work, only one worker (Charles Tosh) died in the building of this structure.

The Tyne Bridge was designed by Mott, Hay and Anderson who based their design on the Hell Gate Bridge in New York (which was completed in 1916). The bridge was completed on 25 February 1928 and opened on 10 October by King George V and Queen Mary, who were the first to use the roadway travelling in their Ascot landau

2 more images

This is the most recent addition to the iconic set of bridges that span the Tyne in the centre of the city, and possibly my favourite. But please don’t offend the Gateshead folk on the other side of the river by describing this as a bridge in Newcastle! The full name of this bridge is in fact the Gateshead Millennium Bridge. It was commissioned by the council to commemorate the millennium and link new developments on either side of the river, including the gallery at Baltic, the old flour mill. It certainly succeeds in doing that and makes it easy for anyone on the Newcastle side to pop across to check out the latest exhibits or have a meal in the restaurant there.

The bridge is for use by pedestrians and cyclists only, as there is no traffic by the river at this point. The brief was to create a bridge allowed ships to pass underneath and didn’t overshadow or spoil the world famous view of the existing bridges. The design solution was to create this light structure which contrasts really well with the solidity of the other bridges, and to engineer it in a way that allows it to tilt upwards for ships to pass. When it does so it looks just like an eye winking! These days there aren’t a large number of large ships navigating the river so it isn’t required to do this frequently. But you can find out the times when the bridge will “wink” on the website below. One regular occurrence is each Sunday just after midday so if you’re on the Quayside at this time do go along to watch, as it’s quite a sight. Each opening and closing takes four and a half minutes and both arches tilt at once – the one that carries the walkway/cycleway, and the one that supports it from above.

Another sight worth catching is of the bridge at night. It is lit up in an ever-changing spectrum of colour, and, from what I’ve observed, the patterns can be different on different nights. Sometimes there are rainbow colours (befitting the shape!) and sometimes each colour appears separately. The website says:
“The arch is lit with a series of high-powered lights which change colour to add to the design. In the week it is lit with a crystal white light and at weekends it changes to a spectrum of colours.”
However on our recent visit I certainly saw coloured lights on a weeknight so maybe they are used all the time now, or at least more often.

2 more images

NewcastleGateshead's Millenium Bridge was built following a competition run by the local council in 1996 to choose a new cycle and footbridge that would link Newcastle and Gateshead across the Tyne whilst still complimenting the existing famous bridges across the river. This was the winning design, the world's first tilting bridge.

When ships need to pass the bridge opens like an eye winking as the walk/cycle platform tilts upwards to the arch above. Quite a design.

Google Map

4 more images

The Tyne Bridge is perhaps the most well known sight in Newcastle. This bridge which links Newcastle and Gateshead across the River Tyne first opened in 1928 with King George V doing the honours.

The bridge fits well with both the industrial heritage of the area as well as the regeneration which has been taking place in recent years and all the new ultra modern architecture that this has brought with it.

1 more image

Built in 1926, thsi bridge was, at that time, with its 389 meters long, the longhest sigle span bridge (162 meters). It is not anymore, it is only the tenth higher structure in town, but it became a symbol of Tyneside, and a highlight in a city where there is not much to see.

4 more images

The Tyne Bridge is Newcastle's most familiar landmark. When it was completed, in 1928, it was the largest single span bridge in the world. It was the model for Sydney Harbour Bridge, which was completed four years later.

4 more images

Newcastle's Millenium Bridge is a beautiful footbridge over the Tyne. It cost £22 million to build and was lifted into place in 2000, but not opened to the public until 17 September 2001. It is 50m high and 122m wide, and has won architectural awards, including the 2002 Royal British Institute of Architects' Stirling Prize.

3 more images

This bridge was opened in November 2000 and is the world's only tilting bridge! The bridge only opens or tilts at certain times and only by chance we saw this taking place with a bird's eye view from the external viewing platform of the Baltic centre! (Please look at all of the photos to show the sequence).
It provides a link between the Gateshead and Newcastle quayside and is the only purpose built bridge on the River Tyne for pedestrians and cyclists.

4 more images

The Tyne Bridge was constructed in 1928 and is probably the best known of the 7 bridges crossing the Tyne. It’s design was influenced by the Sydney Harbour Bridge and its dimensions are impressive: it has a total length of 389 metres and it stands 59 metres above water level at its highest point. It crosses the Tyne near the castle in, in one of the oldest parts of the city.