Topics > Tyne and Wear > Newcastle upon Tyne > Bridges of the Quayside > Newcastle Swing Bridge

Newcastle Swing Bridge


Swing BridgeThe 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.

Text from Wikipedia, available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License (accessed: 16/04/2016).
Visit the page: Swing Bridge, River Tyne for references and further details. You can contribute to this article on Wikipedia.
Bridges of the Quayside Gateshead Quays 1876 River Tyne Newcastle City Centre Historic Buildings and Monuments in Gateshead Bridges Grade II* Listed Newcastle Quayside (area) Old Toll House, Swing Bridge, Newcastle Historic Buildings and Monuments in Newcastle Lord William Armstrong (1810-1900)
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063186:Swing Bridge Newcastle upon Tyne c.1875

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003382:Swing Bridge, Newcastle upon Tyne, 1889

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044108:Swing Bridge Newcastle upon Tyne unknown 1904

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666797b:View of Newcastle upon Tyne from the High Level Bridge Unknown c.1910

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715655:Swing Bridge Newcastle upon Tyne Unknown Undated

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069408:Swing Bridge Newcastle upon Tyne Unknown Undated

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666751:High Level and Swing Bridges Unknown Undated

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043330:Newcastle Bridges Newcastle upon Tyne City Engineers 1967

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056617:Newcastle Bridges Newcastle upon Tyne Frith F. c. 1950

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061428:Newcastle Bridges Newcastle upon Tyne City Engineers c.1995

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059599:Tyne Bridge at night. Unknown. 1993.

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037098:'Tommy on the Bridge' Gateshead Unknown c.1905

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Gateshead, ca 1910

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002580a:Roman Altar

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Tyne Swing Bridge

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HMS Victoria on the River Tyne

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The Bridges

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Newcastle from the Swing Bridge

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The Swing Bridge - view from the roof of The Castle Keep - Newcastle

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Newcastle: Swing Bridge and Tyne Bridge

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Swing and High Level Bridges Newcastle

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Bridges

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IMG_4417

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Swing Low...

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IMG_8620

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Newcastle - Swing bridge, High-level bridge and castle

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Newcastle Swing Bridge

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Wooden jetty west of the Swing Bridge

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Swing Bridge Machine Room

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Rack and Pinion Drive, Tyne Swing Bridge

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Gateshead Quays
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Gateshead Quays
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666754:View of Newcastle upon Tyne, 1903 - Auty Collection

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026140:Newcastle bridges Newcastle upon Tyne Unknown c.1890

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Postcard of a steam tug called Vigilant coming through the swing bridge in Newcastle.

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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'

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066879:A bird's eye view of Newcastle upon Tyne Unknown 1905

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666797d:View of Newcastle upon Tyne Unknown c.1910

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666755:High Level and Swing Bridges Newcastle upon Tyne Unknown Undated

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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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030568:Minas Geraes Newcastle upon Tyne C. 1910

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053701:No Title available

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003370:No Title available

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023998:High Level and Swing Bridges Newcastle upon Tyne Unknown c.1890

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038921:No Title available

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BRIDGES

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Tyne Swing Bridge opening

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Bridge on the move [1/10]

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Bridge on the move [2/10]

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Bridge on the move [3/10]

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Bridge on the move [4/10]

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Bridge on the move [5/10]

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Bridge on the move [6/10]

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Bridge on the move [7/10]

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Bridge on the move [8/10]

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Bridge on the move [9/10]

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Temporarily closed to traffic

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The Swing Bridge

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Wheels That Make Swing Bridge Go Round

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Machine Room. Swing Bridge

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The Swing Bridge, the Tyne Bridge and the Millennium Bridge

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The Swing Bridge

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The central section of the Swing Bridge

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Newcastle upon Tyne Swing Bridge. 30.07.2014

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Newcastle Swing Bridge opening

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Swing Bridge Newcastle, water powered engine 8 9 2006

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Swing Bridge, River Tyne, Newcastle upon Tyne

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Lord William Armstrong (1810-1900)
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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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Cleanning the river

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View from the high level

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The old quayside of Newcastle

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Newcastle-upon-Tyne

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Tyne Bridge and Swing Bridge from Newcastle, 1963

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List number: 1390930
List grade: 2*
Post code: NE8 2BH
Borough: Newcastle
Grid ref: NZ2522263714
Wikipedia: Swing Bridge, River…

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