Royal Tweed Bridge
Encyclopedia
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 Edinburgh
. However, the construction of a new bridge to the west of Berwick as part of bypass has since reduced the Royal Tweed Bridge's importance.
Construction took place between 1925 and 1928. It was undertaken by L G Mouchel & Partners, who still operate today (as Mouchel Parkman
). The design is of reinforced concrete
and consists of four unequal arch
es. The bridge altogether spans a distance just short of 430 metres. However, the spans of the arches themselves (50.1, 74.4, 95.5 and 108.50 metres) vary remarkably, so much so that the longest, northern arch for a while held the record for Great Britain
's largest concrete
arch.
Up until the 2000s, when the road and pavement layout was altered and new lights added, both side of the bridge was used for parking with a smaller pavement in use. This caused a large weight on the deck of the bridge and forced the Berwick Borough Council to adapt a new layout to ease pressure on the 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...
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...
, that carries Pudding Lane across the River Tweed
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...
. It was intended to divert 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...
from the 17th century Old Bridge
Berwick Bridge
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...
, and until the 1980s it formed part of the A1 road, the main route from 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...
to 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...
. However, the construction of a new bridge to the west of Berwick as part of bypass has since reduced the Royal Tweed Bridge's importance.
Construction took place between 1925 and 1928. It was undertaken by L G Mouchel & Partners, who still operate today (as Mouchel Parkman
Mouchel
Mouchel Group plc is a multinational infrastructure and business services company headquartered in Woking, United Kingdom. It operates in sectors including highways, business process outsourcing, water, property, housing, education, waste, environmental and local government consultancy services in...
). The design is of reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete is concrete in which reinforcement bars , reinforcement grids, plates or fibers have been incorporated to strengthen the concrete in tension. It was invented by French gardener Joseph Monier in 1849 and patented in 1867. The term Ferro Concrete refers only to concrete that is...
and consists of four unequal 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. The bridge altogether spans a distance just short of 430 metres. However, the spans of the arches themselves (50.1, 74.4, 95.5 and 108.50 metres) vary remarkably, so much so that the longest, northern arch for a while held the record for Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
's largest 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...
arch.
Up until the 2000s, when the road and pavement layout was altered and new lights added, both side of the bridge was used for parking with a smaller pavement in use. This caused a large weight on the deck of the bridge and forced the Berwick Borough Council to adapt a new layout to ease pressure on the bridge.
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