Victoria Bridge (Stockton-on-Tees)
Encyclopedia
The Victoria Bridge is a road bridge carrying Bridge Road (A1130) east west across the River Tees
between Stockton-on-Tees
and Thornaby-on-Tees
in the borough of Stockton-on-Tees in the north east of England
.
The bridge is just south east of Stockton town centre.
Under an 1881 act of Parliament, the bridge was constructed (1882-1887) at a cost of £69,051 by Whitaker Brothers of Leeds, financed by the local council, a tramway company, North East Railways and the water board, and commemorates the 50th year of the reign of Queen Victoria.
The first bridge was a five arch stone bridge completed in 1771, designed by Joseph Robson of Sunderland and which was toll free by 1820.
The bridge replaced Yarm Bridge as the lowest bridge point on the river Tees.
The bridge at this point was the lowest bridge point until the opening of the Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge
in 1911. The bridge used to carry the A67 and the A66 until the Surtees Bridge was built in 1981.
The foundations of the abutment
s and piers are five cylindrical columns, 40 feet (12.2 m) deep and 14 feet (4.3 m) in diameter.
The abutments are faced with granite and sandstone and are filled in with large stone rubble.
The bridge has three arches - the centre arch is 110 feet (33.5 m) wide and the side arches are 85 feet (25.9 m).
The arches each have eight wrought iron ribs that vary in thickness from 3 feet (91.4 cm) at the centre to 4 feet (121.9 cm) at the bearings.
The deck is carried on buckled plates resting on secondary beams.
The road is 40 feet (12.2 m) wide and the pavement 10 feet (3 m) wide.
The balustrades are cast iron with an open design of interlocking circles, and on the parapet
s are ornamental cast iron lampposts carrying modern lights while the spandrel
s are open cast iron work with a design of diminishing interlocking circles.
At either side of the bridge are land-based arches that are currently impassable on the upriver side.
Shortly afterwards the tram system was extended over the bridge, and the bridge was to be used by trams until 1931.
During the second World War a bomb passed through the roadway without exploding.
In 2010 the bridge was made a grade II listed building.
River Tees
The River Tees is in Northern England. It rises on the eastern slope of Cross Fell in the North Pennines, and flows eastwards for 85 miles to reach the North Sea between Hartlepool and Redcar.-Geography:...
between Stockton-on-Tees
Stockton-on-Tees
Stockton-on-Tees is a market town in north east England. It is the major settlement in the unitary authority and borough of Stockton-on-Tees. For ceremonial purposes, the borough is split between County Durham and North Yorkshire as it also incorporates a number of smaller towns including...
and Thornaby-on-Tees
Thornaby-on-Tees
Thornaby-on-Tees is a town and civil parish within the Borough of Stockton-on-Tees, in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. It is on the south bank of the River Tees, three miles southeast of Stockton-on-Tees, and four miles southwest of Middlesbrough town centre and has a...
in the borough of Stockton-on-Tees in the north east of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
The bridge is just south east of Stockton town centre.
Under an 1881 act of Parliament, the bridge was constructed (1882-1887) at a cost of £69,051 by Whitaker Brothers of Leeds, financed by the local council, a tramway company, North East Railways and the water board, and commemorates the 50th year of the reign of Queen Victoria.
History
Before the existence of a bridge at this location communication was provided by Bishop's Ferry.The first bridge was a five arch stone bridge completed in 1771, designed by Joseph Robson of Sunderland and which was toll free by 1820.
The bridge replaced Yarm Bridge as the lowest bridge point on the river Tees.
The bridge at this point was the lowest bridge point until the opening of the Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge
Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge
The Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge or Tees Transporter Bridge is the furthest downstream bridge across the River Tees, England. It connects Middlesbrough, on the south bank, to Port Clarence, on the north bank. It is a transporter bridge, carrying a travelling 'car', or 'gondola', suspended from...
in 1911. The bridge used to carry the A67 and the A66 until the Surtees Bridge was built in 1981.
Design
The design is a wrought-iron arch bridge by Charles Neate and consulting engineer Harrison Haytor.The foundations of the abutment
Abutment
An abutment is, generally, the point where two structures or objects meet. This word comes from the verb abut, which means adjoin or having common boundary. An abutment is an engineering term that describes a structure located at the ends of a bridge, where the bridge slab adjoins the approaching...
s and piers are five cylindrical columns, 40 feet (12.2 m) deep and 14 feet (4.3 m) in diameter.
The abutments are faced with granite and sandstone and are filled in with large stone rubble.
The bridge has three arches - the centre arch is 110 feet (33.5 m) wide and the side arches are 85 feet (25.9 m).
The arches each have eight wrought iron ribs that vary in thickness from 3 feet (91.4 cm) at the centre to 4 feet (121.9 cm) at the bearings.
The deck is carried on buckled plates resting on secondary beams.
The road is 40 feet (12.2 m) wide and the pavement 10 feet (3 m) wide.
The balustrades are cast iron with an open design of interlocking circles, and on the parapet
Parapet
A parapet is a wall-like barrier at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony or other structure. Where extending above a roof, it may simply be the portion of an exterior wall that continues above the line of the roof surface, or may be a continuation of a vertical feature beneath the roof such as a...
s are ornamental cast iron lampposts carrying modern lights while the spandrel
Spandrel
A spandrel, less often spandril or splaundrel, is the space between two arches or between an arch and a rectangular enclosure....
s are open cast iron work with a design of diminishing interlocking circles.
At either side of the bridge are land-based arches that are currently impassable on the upriver side.
Construction
Whitaker Brothers of Leeds began construction in 1882, and completed the bridge in 1887.Operation
The bridge was opened on 20th June 1887.Shortly afterwards the tram system was extended over the bridge, and the bridge was to be used by trams until 1931.
During the second World War a bomb passed through the roadway without exploding.
In 2010 the bridge was made a grade II listed building.
See also
Nearby- River TeesRiver TeesThe River Tees is in Northern England. It rises on the eastern slope of Cross Fell in the North Pennines, and flows eastwards for 85 miles to reach the North Sea between Hartlepool and Redcar.-Geography:...
- Teesdale WayTeesdale WayThe Teesdale Way is a long distance walk between the North Sea coast of North Yorkshire and the Cumbrian Pennines in England. The walk is 100 miles / 161 km in length, it links in with other long distance walks such as the Pennine Way and the E2 European Walk between Harwich and Stranraer.The...
- Stockton-on-TeesStockton-on-TeesStockton-on-Tees is a market town in north east England. It is the major settlement in the unitary authority and borough of Stockton-on-Tees. For ceremonial purposes, the borough is split between County Durham and North Yorkshire as it also incorporates a number of smaller towns including...
- Thornaby on Tees
- Tees ValleyTees ValleyThe Tees Valley is an area in the North East of England. It can be described as "greater Teesside" and consists of the four unitary authorities created by the breakup of the County of Cleveland in 1996: Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar & Cleveland, and Stockton-On-Tees along with the borough of...
External links
- Victoria Bridge:
- Webpages: Bridges on the Tyne, Structural Images of the North East, Structurae
- In books: Civil engineering heritage
- Photographs: Flickr
- Historic photographs: Picture Stockton, This is Stockton on Tees.