Arguably Newcastle’s most instantly recognisable structure, the Tyne Bridge connects Newcastle with Gateshead. Mott, Hay and Anderson, who were later responsible for the design of Edinburgh’s infamous Forth Road Bridge, designed the impressive Tyne Bridge in the early 1920s.
Middlesbrough-based contractors Dorman Long were appointed to construct the bridge. Building began it in August 1925, but it was not an easy job for the workers. In fact, the workers were nicknamed ‘spider men’ for their grafity defying building skills, which often required them to balance 80ft over the River Tyne without the use of ropes or harness. Despite the risks involved, just one man, Charles Tosh, lost his life during the construction of the Tyne Bridge.
King George V and the Queen, who drove over the bridge in their Ascot Landau, officially opened the Tyne Bridge on 10 October 1928. Thousands of people watched the Royal couple become the first people to officially use the roadway.
In terms of style, the bridge is widely regarded as a great example of a compression arch suspended-deck bridge. The most famous example of this type of bridge is the Sydney Harbour Bridge, which was built in 1932. It is often believed that the Tyne Bridge inspired the design of this bridge, but this is a myth as work. Work actually started on the Sydney Harbour Bridge before the Tyne Bridge – the huge size of the Sydney Bridge meant that it took longer to complete.
At eighty years old, the Tyne Bridge provides a valuable service to Newcastle’s people, as well as becoming one of their most beloved landmarks. At 531ft tall, the steel bridge is now renowned as a truly remarkable feat of modern engineering and, perhaps more importantly, it acts as a proud reminder of Newcastle’s rich industrial past.