The Fourth Bridge
Sat. 28th July, 2001

Before the opening of the Tyne Bridge in 1928, traffic across the river used the the Swing Bridge for road and pedestrians, the High Level for road and rail,  the King Edward VII bridge for rail, thus making the Central Station a truly workable terminus, and the Redheugh Bridge for traffic.

The name derives from the precipitous riverbank (heugh) at this point, and its nearby reed beds. the rather spindly Meccano like structure was first opened in 1871 then rebuilt between 1897 and 1901. It was finally demolished in 1984.

An exciting new high span road bridge was constructed during 1982-3 and was opened by the late Princess of Wales. The new bridge forms a smooth traffic access from the south into the centre of the city, continuing the original vision, but is far higher and bolder than any Victorian engineer's dream.

The view above is from the approach road to the old bridge looking north towards Arthur's Hill. An almost uninterrupted road, George Street and Rye Hill took travellers from the river to Westgate Road. The new bridge connects with a newly constructed St. James' Boulevard and funnels traffic towards the football stadium.

Here, alongside the new bridge, the Gateshead old bridge approach can be seen. Three wooden piers with piles driven deep into the river bed  supported the steel girder supports for the bridge.

By the time it was demolished, only light traffic could use it because of the advanced corrosion.

The new pre-stressed concrete bridge with its central span of 160 metres and two side spans of 100 metres can carry loads of up to 4,000 tonnes, and was built to a life expectancy of 120 years.

The approach from Newcastle led underneath the massive North Eastern Railway goods marshalling yard. The 4.2 meter (13ft 6ins) headroom seemed adequate at the time, but did not permit double deck bus traffic to pass, a restriction that discouraged investment and eventually made the crossing obsolete.

The Goods yard has now been redeveloped and is the site of a massive performance space called the Newcastle Arena. Its sprung arched roof gives the impression of a massive tin shed from a distance, but allows a pillar free uninterrupted space within.

It use varies from rock bands, exhibitions, and ice shows to television spectaculars.

Despite the slope and the 32 steps to the entrance, there is wheelchair access to this impressive space.

The sloped landscaping has been stabilised by large boulders and a new use for the wooden railway sleepers that were plentiful during construction. This is a further reminder of the heritage of this place, and is an encouraging reuse of building materials.

The stone rail bridge abutments will remain to support two carriage roads extending south of Scotswood road to a point south of the junction with Clumber Street.

A glance north up George Street towards Arthur's Hill reveals a rather run down industrial estate.

The City Council is slowly changing the use of this area to leisure and as the remaining factories and garages move out the night-clubs, casinos and pleasure palaces move in.

The far end of the street joins Westmorland Road at the picturesquely named Villa Victoria pub. George Street is now no longer a through route since the opening of the new St. James' Boulevard.

Below is the previously busy Mobil petrol station, now by-passed and derelict.

Finally, this view of the Redheugh Bridge in the distance, behind the more substantial King Edward VII rail bridge, is deceptively modern.

This atmospheric shot was taken during the 150th anniversary celebrations of the Stockton to Darlington railway that set the standard for the world.

Here in 1975 the Flying Scotsman crosses the Tyne on its journey south.

We may not see steam trains so often, but the legacy of the Industrial Revolution and the strength of Victorian planning and engineering are all around us in this ever renewing modern city that is justifiably the capital of the north east, and the envy of municipalities world wide.

©1975 Trevor Ermel