Union Bridge (Tweed)

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'Union Bridge'
Union Bridge viewed from Scotland
Official name	Union Bridge
Carries	1 lane of roadway
Crosses	River Tweed
Locale	Northumberland and Scottish Borders
Maintained by	Tweed Bridges Trust
Design	Suspension bridge
Longest span	129 metres (423 ft)
Width	5.5 metres (18 ft)
Opening date	July 26, 1820
Coordinates	55°45′10.04″N, 2°6′15.72″W

The Union Bridge, also called the Chain Bridge, spans the River Tweed between Horncliffe, Northumberland, England and Fishwick, Borders, Scotland. When it opened in 1820 it was the longest wrought iron suspension bridge in the world with a span of 137 metres (449 ft), and the first vehicular bridge of its type in Britain. Although work started on the Menai Suspension Bridge first, Union Bridge was completed earlier. Today it is the oldest suspension bridge still carrying road traffic.

The bridge has been maintained by an international body, the Tweed Bridges Trust, since the abolition of turnpike tolls in 1883. It is a Grade I listed building and Scheduled Ancient Monument.

1 History
2 Trivia
3 Bibliography
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] History

Before the opening of the Union Bridge, crossing the river at this point involved an eleven-mile round trip via Berwick-upon-Tweed downstream or a twenty mile trip via Coldstream upstream. (Ladykirk and Norham Bridge did not open until 1888.)

The bridge's longevity may owe something to the fact that it was designed by a Royal Navy officer, Captain Samuel Brown. Brown's first design for the bridge was prepared in 1817, and reviewed by the eminent civil engineer John Rennie. Brown had built an experimental suspension bridge with a span of 110 ft, which impressed Rennie. Nonetheless, Rennie asked for changes to the design of the stone abutments and towers.

Brown would have been familiar with the fact that a wooden sailing ship is not totally rigid and designed the bridge on the same basis. Originally the deck was supported by three chains of iron bar links on each side. In 1902 a pair of wire rope cables was added. The decking is of timber and the whole structure is designed to flex slightly under load. Standing on it when a vehicle crosses is reminiscent of being on a ship. For this reason, traffic is now limited to one vehicle on the bridge at any one time.

The bridge proposal, received consent via an 1802 Act of Parliament in July 1819 and construction began that year on 2 August. It opened on 26 July the following year, with an opening ceremony attended by Robert Stephenson among others. Captain Brown tested the bridge in a curricle towing twelve carts, before a crowd of about 700 spectators crossed. The final cost was £6,449.

In addition to the 1902 addition of cables, the bridge has been strengthened and refurbishment on many occasions. The bridge deck was substantially renewed in 1871, and again in 1974, with the chains reinforced at intervals throughout its life.

[edit] Trivia

The alignment of the bridge is almost due east-west; ironically, the English end is north of the Scottish end.
Like the more infamous Gretna Green, in the 19th century the bridge was the site of many runaway marriages of couples eloping from England [1].
The bridge lies on Sustrans Route 1 and the Pennine Cycleway.
Several authors have stated that the bridge blew down within its first year, but this is incorrect.

[edit] Bibliography

'Heritage of Bridges Between Edinburgh, Kelso and Berwick', Roland Paxton & Ted Ruddock, Institution of Civil Engineers, 1980
'Union Chain Bridge - Linking Engineering', Gordon Miller, Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers 159, pp 88-95, May 2006