Topics > Tyne and Wear > Newcastle upon Tyne > Bridges of the Quayside > Newcastle Swing Bridge
Newcastle Swing Bridge
The Swing Bridge over the River Tyne was first used for road traffic on 15th June 1876 and opened for river traffic on 17th July 1876. It had an innovative design, using hydraulic power to swing open and close. At the time of construction, it was the largest swing bridge ever built. The previous bridge on the site was demolished in 1868 so that larger ships could sail upstream to William Armstrong's Elswick works. Armstrong designed and paid for the bridge. The Swing Bridge stands on the site of the Medieval Tyne Bridge of 1270 and the later bridge of 1781, and probably of the Roman Pons Aelius.
The Swing Bridge is a swing bridge over the River Tyne, England, connecting Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead, and lies between the Tyne Bridge and the High Level Bridge.
The hydraulic power still used to move the bridge is today derived from electrically driven pumps. These feed a hydraulic accumulator sunk into a shaft below the bridge; 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 originally installed by Armstrong.
It has an 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 and paid for by Armstrong, with work beginning in 1873. It was first used for road traffic on 15 June 1876 and opened for river traffic on 17 July 1876. At the time of construction it was the largest swing bridge ever built. The construction costs were £240,000.
The Swing Bridge stands on the site of the Old Tyne Bridges of 1270 and 1781, and probably of the Roman Pons Aelius. It is a Grade II* listed structure.
Visit the page: Swing Bridge, River Tyne for references and further details. You can contribute to this article on Wikipedia.
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063186:Swing Bridge Newcastle upon Tyne c.1875
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044108:Swing Bridge Newcastle upon Tyne unknown 1904
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The Swing Bridge - view from the roof of The Castle Keep - Newcastle
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Newcastle - Swing bridge, High-level bridge and castle
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Postcard of a steam tug called Vigilant coming through the swing bridge in Newcastle.
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Tor458, Swing Bridge, Newcastle upon Tyne
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Tor981, Swing Bridge, Newcastle upon Tyne
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High Level and Swing Bridge, Newcastle upon Tyne
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023998:High Level and Swing Bridges Newcastle upon Tyne Unknown c.1890
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The Swing Bridge, the Tyne Bridge and the Millennium Bridge
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Swing Bridge Newcastle, water powered engine 8 9 2006
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Lord William Armstrong (1810-1900)
- Overview About William Armstrong William George Armstrong was born on 26th November 1810, in Shieldfield, Newcastle. He became a prominent engineer and industrialist who founded the Armstrong Whitworth company, producing armaments which …
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The Swing Bridge - view from the roof of The Castle Keep - Newcastle
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from TWAM (flickr)
Postcard of a steam tug called Vigilant coming through the swing bridge in Newcastle.
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from Flickr (flickr)
Image taken from page 29 of 'Newcastle-upon-Tyne Royal Mining, Engineering, & Industrial Exhibition, Jubilee year, 1887. The bridges and the floods of Newcastle-upon-Tyne'
Pinned by Simon Cotterill
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066879:A bird's eye view of Newcastle upon Tyne Unknown 1905
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High Level and Swing Bridge, Newcastle upon Tyne
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030568:Minas Geraes Newcastle upon Tyne C. 1910
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023998:High Level and Swing Bridges Newcastle upon Tyne Unknown c.1890
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The Swing Bridge, the Tyne Bridge and the Millennium Bridge
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![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/cXqA99iJwP0/hqdefault.jpg)
from Youtube (youtube)
Swing Bridge Newcastle, water powered engine 8 9 2006
Pinned by Simon Cotterill
![Lord William Armstrong (1810-1900)](/uploads/pics/32/32822.jpg)
  Co-Curate Page
Lord William Armstrong (1810-1900)
- Overview About William Armstrong William George Armstrong was born on 26th November 1810, in Shieldfield, Newcastle. He became a prominent engineer and industrialist who founded the Armstrong Whitworth company, producing armaments which …
List grade: 2*
Post code: NE8 2BH
Borough: Newcastle
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Wikipedia: Swing Bridge, River…