High Level Bridge

Designed by Robert Stephenson and built between 1847 and 1849, it is the first major example of a wrought iron tied arch or bow-string girder bridge. It is a fine and long standing engineering solution to a difficult problem; the spanning of 1337 feet of river valley, including 512 feet across water. The High Level Bridge has six river spans of 125 feet (38 m) length, sitting on masonry piers, 46 by 16 feet in section and up to 131 feet (40 m) height. There are also four land spans on each side, of 36 feet 3 inches. The single carriageway road and pedestrian walkways occupy the lower deck of the spans, 85 feet above the high water mark, and the railway the upper deck 112 above the high water mark. The total weight of the structure is 5,000 tons.

The bridge was closed to road traffic in February 2005 to allow essential maintenance to ensure the bridge's long-term future, including replacement of wooden supports beneath the road deck. It was expected to reopen in late-2005, however, the reopening has now slipped as severe cracks were found in some of the bridge's iron girders. Having assessed the bridge, engineers have decided a crash barrier on each side of the roadway is necessary, meaning that there will be space for only one lane of traffic when the bridge reopens.

Description courtesy of Wikipedia.






28th August 2023








17th July 2023



Harry Clasper Plaque.

The plaque reads: Henry ‘Harry’ Clasper 1812-1870 World champion rower and pioneering boat builder: the father of modern rowing.

“Competed in over 130 races, many on the Tyne from High Level Bridge to Scotswood Bridge.

More on Harry Clasper(Wikipedia).






27th December 2018










20th July 2018











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8th January 2018














22nd December 2015










17th September 2015








8th January 2015










3rd December 2014

















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30th January 2014
















25th November 2013









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12th September 2010



The High Level Bridge from The Castle Keep.






10th December 2009










11th May 2009








25th April 2009








13th September 2008





Taken from the nearby Castle Keep.






26th July 2008








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31st March 2006








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28th December 2005










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23rd August 2005








21st August 2005









More Information:
My other photos around the High Level Bridge:

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

As always, another excellent set of pics!

Thanks

Angelus71

Newcastle Photos said...

Thanks. It's great to see the bridge in all of it's glory. I'm not sure how long it will last but it looks extremely clean and shiny! :)