BRIDGESPOTTING

Few cities are as closely identified with the image of their bridges as Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Its identity is not linked with a single bridge, but with an interesting grouping of five of them. What makes the image of bridges in Newcastle an undeniable symbol of that city is not that it shows more than one bridge. Certainly, most river-centric cities have multiple bridges. However, the situation of the bridges in Newcastle is quite unusual.

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First, the River Tyne in downtown Newcastle flows through a steep-sided gorge. There are narrow quays at river level on both sides of the river, but then there are steep hillsides rising 50 or more feet high, also on both sides. This results in two completely different sets of bridges. High bridges extend from bluff-top to bluff-top more than 50 feet above river level. Then, a short walk away, low bridges just a few feet above river level connect from quay to quay. The second feature is that the river through downtown Newcastle is perfectly straight. There is no curve to it at all, for a distance of about a mile. A third feature is the variety in the ages, types, and colors of the bridges. The bridges are starkly different from each other in appearance, which makes them stand out from one another when seen together as a group.

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The highest bridge in the vista is the Tyne Bridge, which is enormous. The roadway is high, extending from bluff to bluff, but its supporting steel double-arch is much higher. The plain, dark green bridge was constructed in 1928.

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Within the open space directly beneath the deck of the Tyne Bridge, the decks of the High Level Bridge are visible. As the name implies, the beige-colored High Level Bridge also extends from bluff-top to bluff-top. The High Level Bridge is historically important. It was opened in 1849 by Queen Victoria and was an integral part of the first rail link between London and Edinburgh. The bridge is also unusual in appearance. It has four cast-iron arches sandwiched between a lower traffic deck and an upper railroad deck, both still in use.

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Directly beneath the two decks of the High Level Bridge, the truss of the 1981 Queen Elizabeth II Metro Bridge can be seen. The Metro Bridge stands out in the image because it is baby blue, and has diagonal girders supporting its truss. This bridge carries light rail traffic.

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Below the deck of the Metro Bridge, the 1906 King Edward VII Bridge, is visible. The King Edward VII Bridge is a rail bridge and is the only one of the five that is partially obscured and not completely visible.

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Finally, lowest to the water and visible beneath the King Edward VII Bridge is Swing Bridge. This is so named because it can be rotated on a central pivot to allow the passage of ships. Constructed in 1876, Swing Bridge is the most visually appealing of the bridges. The movable section is a single white girder arch, connected to the deck by diagonal red girders and topped by a small, ornate white cupola.

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This image of the five bridges, all aligned, is used as the symbolic photograph of the city of Newcastle. It is featured prominently, although without the newer Metro Bridge, on vintage travel posters. It is used as the background photo when individuals in Newcastle are interviewed on television. It was even used as the inspiration for a progressive rock composition, the Five Bridges Suite, by The Nice, in 1970. I also used the image as the cover of my book, Bridgespotting: A Guide to Bridges that Connect People, Places, and Times, which includes a detailed description of each of the bridges in Chapter 3.

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Interestingly, the most important tourist bridge in Newcastle, the amazing Gateshead Millennium Bridge, is not part of this vista. This is because the river curves, just slightly, between Tyne Bridge and Gateshead Millennium, to the extent that the axis of the vista formed by the five bridges does not continue through Gateshead Millennium. Instead, it falls onto the quay just to the north of Gateshead Millennium. Because the perfect photograph must be taken directly along the axis, it does not include Gateshead Millennium. However, I do have a few lovely photos of the Gateshead Millennium lit in brilliant colors at night on the “Night Lighting” gallery on this website.