List of crossings of the River Tees

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Model of the River Tees, in the former park "Natures World", in 2009, with models of Transporter Bridge (left) and Newport Bridge (right), with the Riverside Stadium in the centre

The River Tees forms the traditional border between Yorkshire and County Durham, passes through the Teesside Urban area built-up area, and has many crossings. The natural low-lying landscape of the surrounding landscape together with the development of shipping on the water way has led a number of unusual bridges being built.[1]

History of crossings[edit]

An early crossing of the Tees was made by the Romans, with the construction of a bridge at Piercebridge, along with a corresponding fortress.[2] The bridge was built on the route of Dere Street, and as a result it likely saw a great deal of military traffic going between the fortress at York and the northern frontier.[3] It was first built in wood around 90 AD, before being rebuilt in stone, possibly when the first bridge washed away. The use of the bridge may of continued into the sub-Roman period.[2]

Crossings of the Tees continued to be important in the journey from north to south, and vice versa, along the east coast, during the medieval period.[4] During the 13th century it was described as "the major obstacle to speedy travel out of the diocese of Durham southwards", with the contemporary fords, bridges and ferries proving particularly inconvenient in the winter period.[5] This included the Great North Road, for which the Croft Bridge was built in the 13th or 14th centuries. Yarm bridge was built around 1400, by bishop Skirlaw.[4]

In 1771 a major flood on the Tees, along with others in the North-East, caused major damage to the river's bridges, completely destroying some. The Wynch Bridge, Supposedly the oldest suspension bridge in Europe, dating from 1741, was lifted from its moorings. The bridge in Gilmonby was recorded as being destroyed after having only been fully operational for 3 years. On the other hand, The medieval Yarm bridge was not affected by the flood, despite every other building in the town being damaged.[6]

1830 illustration of the Stockton Railway Suspension Bridge, the first railway suspension bridge in the world, on the site of today's Surtees Rail Bridge.[7]

With the industrialisation of the area through the 19th century, many new bridges where needed closer to the ports mouth.[5] When the Stockton and Darlington railway, first opened in 1825, it was realised that the staiths at Stockton where two small to export the desired amount of coal. The decision was made to start exporting closer to the rivers mouth on the other bank, at Port Darlington (later Middlesbrough). This required the building of the first suspension railway bridge.[a] This moved the commercial centre of gravity of Teesside further down stream, where many future bridges would be built.[7]

By the end of that century there were 21 principal firms on and adjacent to the Tees in the Stockton and Thornaby area, with 36 firms in the Middlesbrough area. This led to the development of two of the most famous bridges on the river, The Transporter Bridge, in 1911, and the Newport Bridge, in 1934, both trying to balance the needs of travellers across the river with shipping up and down it.[5]

List[edit]

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The following is a list of crossings of the River Tees, heading downstream, from source to its mouth in the North Sea. This including road, rail, pipe and foot/cycle bridges and fords.[8][9]

Source to Barnard Castle[edit]

Crossing Photo Opened Notes Coordinates
Moor House Bridge 54°41′57″N 2°22′23″W / 54.69917°N 2.37306°W / 54.69917; -2.37306
Birkdale footbridge 1966 Just downstream from Cow Green reservoir.[10] 54°39′13″N 2°17′23″W / 54.65361°N 2.28972°W / 54.65361; -2.28972
Cronkley Bridge Private road bridge 54°39′33″N 2°12′55″W / 54.65917°N 2.21528°W / 54.65917; -2.21528
Holwick Head Bridge 1998 54°38′59″N 2°10′25″W / 54.64972°N 2.17361°W / 54.64972; -2.17361
Wynch Bridge 1830[11] The original suspension bridge built on this spot was finished in 1741, was the first of its kind in Britain. That bridge was washed away in the Great Flood of 1771, with 2 more bridges being subsequently built there.[12] 54°38′46″N 2°9′2″W / 54.64611°N 2.15056°W / 54.64611; -2.15056[13]
Scoberry Bridge 1971 54°38′28″N 2°8′26″W / 54.64111°N 2.14056°W / 54.64111; -2.14056
Middleton Bridge 1853 B6277 road 54°37′21″N 2°5′3″W / 54.62250°N 2.08417°W / 54.62250; -2.08417[14][15]
Beckstones Wath Footbridge 2002 54°36′47″N 2°2′16″W / 54.61306°N 2.03778°W / 54.61306; -2.03778
Eggleston Bridge 1450s B6281 road 54°36′15″N 2°0′24″W / 54.60417°N 2.00667°W / 54.60417; -2.00667[16]
Cotherstone Bridge 1932 54°34′38″N 1°58′51″W / 54.57722°N 1.98083°W / 54.57722; -1.98083

Barnard Castle to Piercebridge[edit]

Crossing Photo Opened Notes Coordinates
Deepdale Aqueduct 1893 Victorian footbridge that also carries a pipe for water over the River[17] 54°32′45″N 1°55′50″W / 54.54583°N 1.93056°W / 54.54583; -1.93056[18][19]
Barnard Castle Bridge 1569 A67 road 54°32′34″N 1°55′38″W / 54.54278°N 1.92722°W / 54.54278; -1.92722[20][21][22]
Thorngate Footbridge 1881 54°32′21″N 1°55′33″W / 54.53917°N 1.92583°W / 54.53917; -1.92583[23]
Abbey Bridge 1773 Unclassified and unnamed road linking Abbey Rd to Westwick Road 54°31′47″N 1°53′57″W / 54.52972°N 1.89917°W / 54.52972; -1.89917[24]
Whorlton Bridge 1831 unclassified and unnamed road 54°31′35″N 1°50′12″W / 54.52639°N 1.83667°W / 54.52639; -1.83667[25][26][27]
Winston Bridge 1760s B6274 road 54°32′29″N 1°46′52″W / 54.54139°N 1.78111°W / 54.54139; -1.78111[28][29]
West Tees Railway Bridge 1856 Part of the former Darlington and Barnard Castle Railway.[30] 54°33′3″N 1°45′27″W / 54.55083°N 1.75750°W / 54.55083; -1.75750
Gainford Railway Bridge 1856 54°32′52″N 1°44′47″W / 54.54778°N 1.74639°W / 54.54778; -1.74639
Barforth Hall Bridge 1950s private road bridge 54°32′43″N 1°44′42″W / 54.54528°N 1.74500°W / 54.54528; -1.74500

Piercebridge to Yarm[edit]

Crossing Photo Opened Notes Coordinates
Piercebridge Pipe Bridge 1956 water pipe 54°32′7″N 1°41′19″W / 54.53528°N 1.68861°W / 54.53528; -1.68861
Piercebridge Bridge 16th century[31][32][33] B6275 road 54°32′5″N 1°40′33″W / 54.53472°N 1.67583°W / 54.53472; -1.67583[31][32][33]
A1(M) Bridge,
Low Coniscliffe 		1961 A1(M) 54°30′55″N 1°37′18″W / 54.51528°N 1.62167°W / 54.51528; -1.62167
Blackwell Bridge 1832 A66 road 54°30′29″N 1°35′3″W / 54.50806°N 1.58417°W / 54.50806; -1.58417[34]
Croft Bridg 15th century A167 road 54°28′59″N 1°33′16″W / 54.48306°N 1.55444°W / 54.48306; -1.55444[35][36]
Tees Railway Bridge 1840 East Coast Main Line 54°28′38″N 1°33′10″W / 54.47722°N 1.55278°W / 54.47722; -1.55278[37][38]
Low Hail Bridge 1870s 54°29′7″N 1°31′20″W / 54.48528°N 1.52222°W / 54.48528; -1.52222
Neasham Hall Bridge 1909 54°28′42″N 1°29′56″W / 54.47833°N 1.49889°W / 54.47833; -1.49889[39]
Girsby Bridge 1870 54°28′7″N 1°27′31″W / 54.46861°N 1.45861°W / 54.46861; -1.45861
Fishlocks Bridge 1910s 54°29′2″N 1°27′36″W / 54.48389°N 1.46000°W / 54.48389; -1.46000
Over Dinsdale Bridge 1830s Unclassified and unnamed road 54°29′47″N 1°28′2″W / 54.49639°N 1.46722°W / 54.49639; -1.46722

Yarm to the river mouth[edit]

Crossing Photo Opened Notes Coordinates
Yarm Viaduct 15 May 1852 North TransPennine Line 54°30′42″N 1°21′25″W / 54.51167°N 1.35694°W / 54.51167; -1.35694[40]
Yarm Bridge 1400s[41] A67 road 54°30′43″N 1°21′21″W / 54.51194°N 1.35583°W / 54.51194; -1.35583[42][43]
Preston Pipe Bridge 1959 Water pipe 54°32′2″N 1°19′23″W / 54.53389°N 1.32306°W / 54.53389; -1.32306
Jubilee Bridge 20 Apr 2002 Carrying Queen Elizabeth Way 54°32′6″N 1°19′16″W / 54.53500°N 1.32111°W / 54.53500; -1.32111
Surtees Bridge 3 Dec 2007 A66 road 54°33′16″N 1°18′39″W / 54.55444°N 1.31083°W / 54.55444; -1.31083
Surtees Rail Bridge 2009 Tees Valley Line 54°33′17″N 1°18′39″W / 54.55472°N 1.31083°W / 54.55472; -1.31083
Victoria Bridge 20 Jun 1887 A1130 road 54°33′30″N 1°18′25″W / 54.55833°N 1.30694°W / 54.55833; -1.30694
Teesquay Millennium Footbridge 20 Dec 2000 Footbridge 54°33′45″N 1°18′35″W / 54.56250°N 1.30972°W / 54.56250; -1.30972
Princess of Wales Bridge 23 Sep 1992 Carrying Teesdale Boulevard 54°33′57″N 1°18′26″W / 54.56583°N 1.30722°W / 54.56583; -1.30722
Infinity Bridge 16 May 2009 Foot and cycle 54°33′53″N 1°17′57″W / 54.56472°N 1.29917°W / 54.56472; -1.29917
Tees Barrage 22 Apr 1995 Road, cycle and foot 54°33′52″N 1°17′10″W / 54.56444°N 1.28611°W / 54.56444; -1.28611
Tees Viaduct Nov 1975 A19 road 54°34′4″N 1°16′4″W / 54.56778°N 1.26778°W / 54.56778; -1.26778
Tees Newport Bridge 28 Feb 1934 A1032 road 54°34′19″N 1°15′41″W / 54.57194°N 1.26139°W / 54.57194; -1.26139
Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge 17 Oct 1911 A178 road 54°35′4″N 1°13′41″W / 54.58444°N 1.22806°W / 54.58444; -1.22806

See also[edit]

References[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Due to design flaws, this first bridge swayed far to much and had to be supported by wooden "Starlings". Even still the sway was so much that wagons had chained 9 meters apart so that weight was distributed evenly across the bridge.[7]

Citations[edit]

  1. ^ "Bridges over the Tees" (PDF). myice.ice.org.uk. Institute of Civil Engineers. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  2. ^ a b Fitzpatrick, A. P.; Scott, Peter R. (1999). "The Roman Bridge at Piercebridge, North Yorkshire-County Durham". Britannia. 30: 111–132. doi:10.2307/526675. JSTOR 526675. S2CID 162361828.
  3. ^ "Bridge over troubled water: Roman finds from the Tees at Piercebridge and beyond | The Past". The Past. Current Archarology. 4 August 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  4. ^ a b Harrison, David (7 October 2004). The Bridges of Medieval England: Transport and Society 400-1800. OUP Oxford. ISBN 978-0-19-155679-1.
  5. ^ a b c Warwick, Tosh. "The Politics of Bridge Building: The Long Wait for the Tees (Newport) Bridge". Cleveland & Teesside Local History Society. 1 January 2011. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  6. ^ Rennison, Robert William (2019). "The Great Inundation of 1771 and the Rebuilding of the North-East's Bridges" (PDF). Archaeologia Aeliana. 29: 269291. doi:10.5284/1061067. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  7. ^ a b c Betteney, Alan (2019). "Crossing the Tees: Fords, Ferries and Bridges" (PDF). River Tees Rediscovered. Tees Archaeology: 31–32. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  8. ^ "Bridges on the Tees". Bridges on the Tyne. 2001. Retrieved 29 May 2009.
  9. ^ "OpenData support | OS Tools & Support".
  10. ^ "Birkdale Footbridge". Bridges on the Tyne. 2001. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  11. ^ "Winch Bridge". Bridges on the Tyne. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  12. ^ White, Andrew (13 February 2022). "What's the story behind County Durham's wobbly bridge - and its tragic history?". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  13. ^ "WYNCH BRIDGE, Holwick - 1121562". Historic England. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  14. ^ "MIDDLETON BRIDGE, Holwick - 1160160". Historic England.
  15. ^ "MIDDLETON BRIDGE, Holwick - 1203554". Historic England. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  16. ^ "EGGLESTON BRIDGE, Eggleston - 1121638". Historic England. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  17. ^ "Deepdale Footbridge". Bridges on the Tyne. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  18. ^ "DEEPDALE AQUEDUCT (THAT PART IN BARNARD CASTLE CIVIL PARISH), Barnard Castle - 1291706". Historic England.
  19. ^ "DEEPDALE AQUEDUCT, Barnard Castle - 1310593". Historic England. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  20. ^ "BARNARD CASTLE BRIDGE, OVER THE RIVER TEES, Startforth - 1121647". Historic England. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  21. ^ "BARNARD CASTLE BRIDGE (THAT PART IN BARNARD CASTLE CIVIL PARISH) AND ATTACHED WALL TO SOUTH EAST, Barnard Castle - 1201056". Historic England. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  22. ^ "Barnard Castle Bridge, Barnard Castle - 1002353". Historic England. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  23. ^ "FOOTBRIDGE OVER RIVER TEES (THAT PART IN BARNARD CASTLE CIVIL PARISH), Barnard Castle - 1291732". Historic England. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  24. ^ "ABBEY BRIDGE, Egglestone Abbey - 1310824". Historic England. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  25. ^ "WHORLTON BRIDGE, Whorlton - 1160013". Historic England. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  26. ^ "WHORLTON SUSPENSION BRIDGE, OVER THE RIVER TEES, Wycliffe with Thorpe - 1322762". Historic England. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  27. ^ "Whorlton suspension bridge, Whorlton - 1002299". Historic England. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  28. ^ "WINSTON BRIDGE, OVER THE RIVER TEES, Barforth - 1121747". Historic England. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  29. ^ "WINSTON BRIDGE, Barforth - 1323060". Historic England. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  30. ^ "West Tees Railway Bridge". Bridges on the Tyne. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  31. ^ a b "PIERCE BRIDGE, Piercebridge - 1131363". Historic England. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  32. ^ a b "PIERCEBRIDGE BRIDGE, Piercebridge - 1145843". Historic England. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  33. ^ a b "Piercebridge Bridge, Piercebridge - 1002344". Historic England. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  34. ^ "BLACKWELL BRIDGE, Non Civil Parish - 1121318". Historic England. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  35. ^ "CROFT BRIDGE, Croft-on-Tees - 1116440". Historic England. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  36. ^ "CROFT BRIDGE, Croft-on-Tees - 1131364". Historic England. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  37. ^ "TEES BRIDGE, Hurworth - 1131366". Historic England. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  38. ^ "TEES RAILWAY BRIDGE, Croft-on-Tees - 1299454". Historic England. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  39. ^ "NEASHAM HALL BRIDGE, Neasham - 1299423". Historic England. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  40. ^ "YARM VIADUCT, Yarm - 1139259". Historic England. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  41. ^ "Yarm Bridge". Stockton Heritage. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  42. ^ "YARM BRIDGE OVER RIVER TEES, Yarm - 1105658". Historic England. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  43. ^ "Yarm Bridge, Egglescliffe - 1006763". Historic England. Retrieved 22 May 2024.


External links[edit]

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