Topics > County Durham > Whorlton > Whorlton Suspension Bridge
Whorlton Suspension Bridge
The toll bridge over the River Tees at Whorlton, County Durham, was opened in 1831. It was designed by John and Benjamin Green of Newcastle, who built other bridges in the area. The bridge carries a wood-planked roadway and is supported by wrought-iron suspension chains.[1] It is the oldest suspension bridge in the country supported unaided by its original chains. The bridge is Grade II* listed on the National Heritage List for England. The Toll House by the bridge is itself a listed building. Since 1985, the bridge was restricted only allowing one vehicle to cross at a time - it had been designed to carry horse-drawn carts! After a structural fault was identified, the bridge was closed to motorists in August 2019. Then in December 2020 the bridge, in need of repairs, was closed to walkers and cyclists.[2]
![](/uploads/thumbs2/historic_england.png)
from https://historicengland.org.u…
WHORLTON SUSPENSION BRIDGE, OVER THE RIVER TEES - List Entry
- "Suspension road bridge, 1829-31 by John and Benjamin Green. Rock-faced piers, tooled-and-margined stone pylons. Wood-planked roadway; wrought-iron suspension chains and links. Single span of almost 53 metres. Battered rectangular-plan piers …
Added by
Simon Cotterill
![Wycliffe](http://s0.geograph.org.uk/geophotos/01/74/43/1744391_b7b58bac.jpg)
  Co-Curate Page
Wycliffe
- Overview Map Street View Wycliffe, County Durham, is a hamlet on the south bank of the River Tees, located 4 miles south east of Barnard Castle. The village is part …
![](http://s0.geograph.org.uk/geophotos/01/74/39/1743998_dec331b8.jpg)
from Geograph (geograph)
Inscribed headstone of the Venerable John Headlam, MA
Pinned by Simon Cotterill
![](https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3755/11005388875_2b174d5a20_z.jpg)
from Flickr (flickr)
Image taken from page 535 of 'The Local Historian's Table Book of remarkable occurrences, historical facts, traditions, legendary and descriptive ballads, connected with the Counties of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Northumberland, and Durham. Historical Division.
Pinned by Pat Thomson
![](/uploads/thumbs2/bbc.png)
from https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk…
Whorlton Bridge near Barnard Castle closed over safety worries
- BBC News Website, 5 December 2020. "A suspension bridge - said to be the oldest of its kind in the UK - has closed amid fears of a "catastrophic" collapse. …
Added by
Simon Cotterill
![](/static/img/loading.gif)
![](/uploads/thumbs2/historic_england.png)
from https://historicengland.org.u…
WHORLTON SUSPENSION BRIDGE, OVER THE RIVER TEES - List Entry
- "Suspension road bridge, 1829-31 by John and Benjamin Green. Rock-faced piers, tooled-and-margined stone pylons. Wood-planked roadway; wrought-iron suspension chains and links. Single span of almost 53 metres. Battered rectangular-plan piers …
Added by
Simon Cotterill
![Wycliffe](http://s0.geograph.org.uk/geophotos/01/74/43/1744391_b7b58bac.jpg)
  Co-Curate Page
Wycliffe
- Overview Map Street View Wycliffe, County Durham, is a hamlet on the south bank of the River Tees, located 4 miles south east of Barnard Castle. The village is part …
![](http://s0.geograph.org.uk/geophotos/01/74/39/1743998_dec331b8.jpg)
from Geograph (geograph)
Inscribed headstone of the Venerable John Headlam, MA
Pinned by Simon Cotterill
![](https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3755/11005388875_2b174d5a20_z.jpg)
from Flickr (flickr)
Image taken from page 535 of 'The Local Historian's Table Book of remarkable occurrences, historical facts, traditions, legendary and descriptive ballads, connected with the Counties of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Northumberland, and Durham. Historical Division.
Pinned by Pat Thomson
![](/uploads/thumbs2/bbc.png)
from https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk…
Whorlton Bridge near Barnard Castle closed over safety worries
- BBC News Website, 5 December 2020. "A suspension bridge - said to be the oldest of its kind in the UK - has closed amid fears of a "catastrophic" collapse. …
Added by
Simon Cotterill