Corbridge Bridge

Corbridge Bridge
Corbridge Bridge
Coordinates54°58′20″N 2°01′08″W / 54.9722°N 2.0188°W / 54.9722; -2.0188
OS grid referenceNY988641
Carries B6321 [citation needed]
CrossesRiver Tyne
LocaleNorthumberland
Heritage statusGrade I listed
Preceded by
Hexham Bridge
Followed by
Styford Bridge
Characteristics
MaterialStone
Total length480 ft (146 m)
No. of spans7
Load limit7.5 tonne[citation needed]
No. of lanesSingle-track road controlled by traffic lights
History
Construction end1674 or 1690
Opened1674 (1674) or 1690 (1690)
Location
Interactive map of Corbridge Bridge

Corbridge Bridge is a 17th-century stone bridge across the River Tyne at Corbridge, Northumberland, England, at the point where another structure, eventually a toll bridge, was constructed in the 13th-century. The later, characteristic 7-span structure would be the only bridge on the Tyne to withstand the Great Flood of 1771. As of 2015, it was listed as a Grade I listed building by Historic England.[needs update]

Earlier, the bridge carried the A68 road over the River Tyne,[not verified in body] but since the opening of the Hexham bypass (A69),[when?] the A68 has crossed via the Styford Bridge, 3 miles (5 km) downstream of Corbridge.[not verified in body]

Structure

The 21st-century bridge, remaining in place from its late 17th-century construction (see below), is of stone,[clarification needed] and has a total length of 480 ft (146 m), with its being able, as of this date,[when?] to bear a load of 7.5 tonnes.[citation needed]

History

A bridge at Corbridge was built in 1235. In 1298 royal officers went to Corbridge to purchase horseshoes and nails, and a tariff was imposed to raise money for upkeep of the medieval bridge; included in it were tolls on nails of different kinds, horseshoes, cartwheel-sheaths, griddles, iron cauldrons and vats, and the bridge became a great asset to the town.[citation needed] Described in 1306 as the only bridge between Newcastle and Carlisle, it was maintained also as a link between England and Scotland. In either 1674 or 1690 it was replaced by the seven-arched bridge that exists to the present.[when?][citation needed] The reconstructed bridge would be the only one on the Tyne to withstand the Great Flood of 1771. In 1881 it was widened to 3 ft (1 m) without significant alteration to its appearance.

As of 2015, the Corbridge Bridge was listed as a Grade I listed building by Historic England.[needs update]

Current use

The bridge had earlier carried the A68 road over the River Tyne,[citation needed] but since the opening of the Hexham bypass (A69),[when?] the A68 has crossed via the Styford Bridge, 3 miles (5 km) downstream of Corbridge.[citation needed]

References

  1. 1 2 Historic England. "Corbridge Bridge (Grade I) (1044808)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
  2. 1 2 Makepeace, Michael (2006). "Corbridge Bridge". Bridges on the Tyne (BridgesOnTheTyne.co.uk). Retrieved 14 April 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Frank Graham (1992), Hexham and Corbridge: A Short History and Guide, Thropton: Butler Publishing, OL 8065820W, Wikidata Q105036820 {{Cite Q}}: Missing first/last names in Wikidata for Frank Graham (help)
  4. 1 2 3 4 Fraser, Constance; Emsley, Kenneth (1989). Northumbria. Chichester: Phillimore & Co. pp. 78–79. ISBN 0-85033-723-2.
  5. ↑ Note, the association of the foregoing "Bridges on the Tyne" work with its stated author is a result of a chain of evidence connecting the cited and another website to Makepeace, via identified copyright holder and author email contact information, here and here, and comparable content for the "Bridges..." website here and here, connecting with a formal 2018 academic Newcastle PhD dissertation record, pages 78, 334, and passim, here. (Search Makepeace, Michael, and "mm" at these locations.)
  6. ↑ Ridley, Nancy (1966). Portrait of Northumberland. London: Robert Hale. p. 183. ISBN 0709117191.