Berwick Bridge
Encyclopedia
Berwick Bridge, also known as the Old Bridge, spans the River Tweed
in Berwick-upon-Tweed
, Northumberland
, England
. The current structure is a Grade I listed stone
bridge
built between 1611 and 1624. Four previous bridges stood on the site, with two destroyed by flood
ing (in 1199, the original, and in 1294, the third), one by an English
attack in 1216 and the last, built 1376, served until James I of England
ordered the construction of the present bridge. It was then on the main road from Edinburgh
to London
, and the king (who was also James VI of Scotland) had had to cross over the then dilapidated wooden bridge in 1603 while travelling to London for his coronation
.
The bridge is 355 metres long and 5 metres wide. The main material is sandstone
from Tweedmouth
. There are 15 arch
es (although originally only 13 had been planned) with Doric columns
. The bridge's engineer
, James Burrell, had to contend with flooding in 1621 when the bridge was almost complete, and that set back completion by several years. The cost of construction was apparently £
15,000.
The bridge became less important for road traffic
as the main route moved westwards, first to the concrete
Royal Tweed Bridge
built in the 1920s, and then in the 1980s a bypass
took the A1 road out of Berwick altogether. The bridge is now one way, from east to west (i.e. from Berwick towards Tweedmouth). The one-way plan is likely to be permanent and has met with little resistance from local businesses, indeed the quieter nature of Bridge Street has presented businesses with the opportunity to close the street on particular Sundays and host fayres offering local produce, goods etc.
River Tweed
The River Tweed, or Tweed Water, is long and flows primarily through the Borders region of Great Britain. It rises on Tweedsmuir at Tweed's Well near where the Clyde, draining northwest, and the Annan draining south also rise. "Annan, Tweed and Clyde rise oot the ae hillside" as the Border saying...
in Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed or simply Berwick is a town in the county of Northumberland and is the northernmost town in England, on the east coast at the mouth of the River Tweed. It is situated 2.5 miles south of the Scottish border....
, Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The current structure is a Grade I listed stone
Rock (geology)
In geology, rock or stone is a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids.The Earth's outer solid layer, the lithosphere, is made of rock. In general rocks are of three types, namely, igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic...
bridge
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
built between 1611 and 1624. Four previous bridges stood on the site, with two destroyed by flood
Flood
A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land. The EU Floods directive defines a flood as a temporary covering by water of land not normally covered by water...
ing (in 1199, the original, and in 1294, the third), one by an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
attack in 1216 and the last, built 1376, served until James I of England
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
ordered the construction of the present bridge. It was then on the main road from Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, and the king (who was also James VI of Scotland) had had to cross over the then dilapidated wooden bridge in 1603 while travelling to London for his coronation
Coronation of the British monarch
The coronation of the British monarch is a ceremony in which the monarch of the United Kingdom is formally crowned and invested with regalia...
.
The bridge is 355 metres long and 5 metres wide. The main material is sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
from Tweedmouth
Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed or simply Berwick is a town in the county of Northumberland and is the northernmost town in England, on the east coast at the mouth of the River Tweed. It is situated 2.5 miles south of the Scottish border....
. There are 15 arch
Arch
An arch is a structure that spans a space and supports a load. Arches appeared as early as the 2nd millennium BC in Mesopotamian brick architecture and their systematic use started with the Ancient Romans who were the first to apply the technique to a wide range of structures.-Technical aspects:The...
es (although originally only 13 had been planned) with Doric columns
Doric order
The Doric order was one of the three orders or organizational systems of ancient Greek or classical architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian.-History:...
. The bridge's engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
, James Burrell, had to contend with flooding in 1621 when the bridge was almost complete, and that set back completion by several years. The cost of construction was apparently £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
15,000.
The bridge became less important for road traffic
Traffic
Traffic on roads may consist of pedestrians, ridden or herded animals, vehicles, streetcars and other conveyances, either singly or together, while using the public way for purposes of travel...
as the main route moved westwards, first to the concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
Royal Tweed Bridge
Royal Tweed Bridge
The Royal Tweed Bridge is a 1920s road bridge in Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland, England, that carries Pudding Lane across the River Tweed. It was intended to divert traffic from the 17th century Old Bridge, and until the 1980s it formed part of the A1 road, the main route from London to...
built in the 1920s, and then in the 1980s a bypass
Bypass (road)
A bypass is a road or highway that avoids or "bypasses" a built-up area, town, or village, to let through traffic flow without interference from local traffic, to reduce congestion in the built-up area, and to improve road safety....
took the A1 road out of Berwick altogether. The bridge is now one way, from east to west (i.e. from Berwick towards Tweedmouth). The one-way plan is likely to be permanent and has met with little resistance from local businesses, indeed the quieter nature of Bridge Street has presented businesses with the opportunity to close the street on particular Sundays and host fayres offering local produce, goods etc.
External links
- Information from the SINE project, University of Newcastle upon TyneUniversity of Newcastle upon TyneNewcastle University is a major research-intensive university located in Newcastle upon Tyne in the north-east of England. It was established as a School of Medicine and Surgery in 1834 and became the University of Newcastle upon Tyne by an Act of Parliament in August 1963. Newcastle University is...
. - Tweed bridges
- Guide to Berwick-upon-Tweed