| Union Bridge | |
|---|---|
 Union Bridge viewed from Scotland |
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| Official name | Union Bridge |
| Carries | 1 lane of roadway |
| Crosses | River Tweed |
| Locale | Northumberland and Scottish Borders |
| Maintained by | Tweed Bridges Trust |
| Design | Suspension bridge |
| Longest span | 129 metres (423 ft) |
| Width | 5.5 metres (18 ft) |
| Opening date | July 26, 1820 |
| Coordinates | |
The Union Bridge, also called the Chain Bridge, spans the River Tweed between Horncliffe, Northumberland, England and Fishwick, Borders, Scotland. When it opened in 1820 it was the longest wrought iron suspension bridge in the world with a span of 137 metres (449 ft), and the first vehicular bridge of its type in the United Kingdom. Although work started on the Menai Suspension Bridge first, Union Bridge was completed earlier. Today it is the oldest suspension bridge still carrying road traffic. It lies on Sustrans Route 1 and the Pennine Cycleway. The bridge has been maintained by an international body, the Tweed Bridges Trust, since the abolition of turnpike tolls in 1883. It is a Grade I listed building and Scheduled Ancient Monument. Before the opening of the Union Bridge, crossing the river at this point involved an eleven-mile round trip via Berwick-upon-Tweed downstream or a twenty mile trip via Coldstream upstream. (Ladykirk and Norham Bridge did not open until 1888.)
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Design and construction
The bridge's longevity may owe something to the fact that it was designed by a Royal Navy officer, Captain Samuel Brown. Brown's first design for the bridge was prepared in 1817, and reviewed by the eminent civil engineer John Rennie. Brown had built an experimental suspension bridge with a span of 110 ft, which impressed Rennie. Nonetheless, Rennie asked for changes to the design of the stone abutments and towers. Brown would have been familiar with the fact that a wooden sailing ship is not totally rigid and designed the bridge on the same basis. Originally the deck was supported by three chains of iron bar links on each side. In 1902 a pair of wire rope cables was added. The decking is of timber and the whole structure is designed to flex slightly under load. Standing on it when a vehicle crosses is reminiscent of being on a ship. For this reason, traffic is now limited to one vehicle on the bridge at any one time. The bridge proposal, received consent in July 1819 using an Act of Parliament that had been passed in 1802, and construction began 2 August 1819. It opened on 26 July the following year, with an opening ceremony attended by Robert Stephenson among others. Captain Brown tested the bridge in a curricle towing twelve carts, before a crowd of about 700 spectators crossed. The final cost was GB£6,449.
Refurbishments
In addition to the 1902 addition of cables, the bridge has been strengthened and refurbishment on many occasions. The bridge deck was substantially renewed in 1871, and again in 1974, with the chains reinforced at intervals throughout its life. As of 22nd April 2007, the bridge was closed with substantial concrete barriers to road vehicles. This appeared to have been undertaken some time before this contributor's visit. The bridge remained open to pedestrians and cyclists with signage to this effect. A newspaper report available online (see external links) indicates that the closure happened shortly before 12th April 2007 and was due to one of the bridge hangers breaking.
Trivia
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Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones. |
- The alignment of the bridge is almost due east-west; ironically, the English end is north of the Scottish end.
- Like the more infamous Gretna Green, in the 19th century the bridge was the site of many runaway marriages of couples eloping from England [1].
- Several authors have stated that the bridge blew down within its first year, but this is incorrect.
References
Bibliography
- Roland Paxton & Ted Ruddock (1980). Heritage of Bridges Between Edinburgh, Kelso and Berwick. Institution of Civil Engineers.
- Gordon Miller (2006). "Union Chain Bridge - Linking Engineering". In: Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers, Vol. 159, pp 88-95, May 2006.
See also
External links
- Chain Bridge House page - note their comments about the effects of wind.
- Just as Berwick received special mention in international documents (see At war with Russia?), so the Tweed Bridges Trust continues to receive special mention in The Transport Levying Bodies Regulations.
- Information from the Structural Images of the North East (SINE) project, University of Newcastle upon Tyne.
- Union Bridge in the Structurae database
- Archived photos Articles of interest around Berwick Upon Tweed, including Union Bridge
- [2] Report of the closure of the bridge shortly before 12th April 2007.
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Administrative areas: Scottish Borders, Scotland · Northumberland, England Flows into: North Sea Major tributaries (upstream to downstream by confluence): Cor Water · Talla Water · Holms Water · Lyne Water · Manor Water Major bridges (upstream to downstream): Leaderfoot Viaduct · Dryburgh Bridge · Mertoun Bridge · Rennie Bridge |
| Longest UK rivers: 1. Severn 2. Thames 3. Trent 4. Aire 5. Great Ouse 6. Wye 7. Tay 8. Spey 9. Nene 10. Clyde 11. Tweed 12. Eden |
