Swing Bridge, River Tyne
 |
The High Level Bridge towers above the Swing Bridge across the River Tyne; photograph facing Newcastle |
The
Swing Bridge over the
River Tyne connects
Gateshead and
Newcastle upon Tyne, between the
Tyne Bridge and the
High Level Bridge. The
hydraulic power to move the bridge is derived from electrically driven pumps. This feeds a
hydraulic accumulator sunk into a shaft on the side of the river, the water is then released under pressure which runs the machinery to turn the bridge. The mechanism used for this is still the same machinery orginally installed by Armstrong.
It has an 85.7 metre cantilevered span with a central axis of rotation able to move through 360° to allow vessels to pass on either side of it.
The previous bridge on the site was demolished in
1868 to enable larger ships to move upstream to
William Armstrong's works. The hydraulic Swing Bridge was designed by Armstrong, and work began in
1873. It was first used for road traffic on
15 June 1876 and opened for river traffic on
17 July
1876.
The Swing Bridge stands on the site of the
Old Tyne Bridges of 1270 and 1781, and probably of the Roman
Pons Aelius.
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Port of Tyne Authority Swing Bridge History
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