Wearmouth Bridge

Arch bridge

A183 A1018
Motor vehicles
1
Cycles
Pedestrians

CrossesRiver Wear

LocaleWearside

Official nameWearmouth Bridge

Maintained bySunderland City Council

Heritage statusGrade II listed building

Next upstreamMonkwearmouth Railway Bridge

CharacteristicsDesignThrough arch bridgeMaterialIron

Total length375 ft (114 m)

Width48 ft (15 m)

Longest span114 m (374 ft)

Clearance below105 ft (32 m)

No. of lanes

5
3 northbound
2 southbound

HistoryDesignerMott, Hay and Anderson

Constructed bySir William Arrol & Co.

Construction start1927Construction end1929Construction cost£231,943

Opened1929

Inaugurated31 October 1929

ReplacesWearmouth Bridge

Location

Wearmouth Bridge is a through arch bridge across the River Wear in Sunderland, England. It is the final bridge over the river before its mouth with the North Sea.

Original bridge

The original Wearmouth Bridge was designed by Thomas Paine and opened in 1796. In 1805 the bridge was repaired, and between 1857 and 1859 it was reconstructed by Robert Stephenson.

History

To accommodate the growing volume of traffic, construction began on the current bridge in 1927. It was designed by Mott, Hay and Anderson and fabricated by the famous bridge building firm of Sir William Arrol & Co. at their Dalmarnock Ironworks in Glasgow (they also built the famous Forth Rail Bridge and the steel structure of Tower Bridge in London).^[1] The new bridge was built around the old one to allow the road to remain open.^[2] It was opened on 31 October 1929 by the Duke of York (who would later become King George VI).^[3]

The cost of the bridge amounted to £231,943 of which £12,000 was spent on dismantling the old bridge.^[3]

The adjoining Monkwearmouth Railway Bridge was built in 1879, and extended the railway south from Monkwearmouth to the centre of Sunderland.^[4]

The bridge carries the A183 road between Chester-le-Street and South Shields and the A1018 which was the old route of the A19 until the bypass was built leading to the Tyne Tunnel. It is a Grade II listed building.^[5]

Gallery

Images of the Wearmouth Bridge Looking north across the Wearmouth Bridge. Looking south along the Wearmouth Bridge. Underneath the Wearmouth Bridge

References

^ 'The Sir William Arrol Collection', Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland contains many pictures of Wearside Bridge under Construction
^ "LOCAL STUDIES CENTRE FACT SHEET NUMBER 7: The Wearmouth Bridge". Local Studies Centre collection, Sunderland Public Library Service. Archived from the original on 7 August 2011. Retrieved 30 January 2011.
^ ^a ^b Vickers, Alex. "The second Wearmouth Bridge". National Grid for Learning. Retrieved 24 September 2006.^{[permanent dead link]}
^ "Historic Structures: Wearmouth Bridge". Sunderland City Council. Archived from the original on 8 May 2005. Retrieved 24 September 2006.
^ Historic England. "WEARMOUTH BRIDGE (1279911)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 19 June 2015.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wearmouth Bridge.

Wearmouth Bridge over River Wear
Image gallery at BBC Wear

Next bridge upstream	River Wear	Next bridge downstream
Monkwearmouth Bridge Durham Coast Line & Tyne and Wear Metro	Wearmouth Bridge Grid reference NZ396574	None North Sea

Listed buildings in the City of Sunderland

v t e Grade I
Sunderland	Holy Trinity Church Hylton Castle & Chapel Phoenix Lodge St Andrew's Church St Peter's Church
Washington	Washington Old Hall
Houghton-le-Spring	Penshaw Monument St Michael and All Angels Church

v t e Grade II*
Sunderland	Doxford House Fulwell Acoustic Mirror Fulwell Mill Sunderland Minster Monkwearmouth Station Museum Old South Pier Ryhope Pumping Station & Chimney St George's Church Empire Theatre 11 Church Street East
Houghton-le-Spring	Houghton Hall Houghton Rectory Kepier School Victoria Viaduct

Grade II

Sunderland

City Centre	Sunderland Museum St Mary's Church Mowbray Almshouses Sunderland County Court Corder House and Sydenham House Elephant Tea Rooms Green's Public House The Isis Sunderland Gas Board Galen Building Fitzgerald's Public House Wearmouth Bridge River Wear Commission Building St Mary's Building Monkwearmouth Railway Bridge Sunderland Magistrates' Court Hawksley House Victoria Hall Disaster Memorial Sunderland War Memorial Burdon Road Masonic Temple 4–25 Foyle Street 28–40 and 43–48 West Sunnside Medieval Arch & Wall Central Buildings Former General Post Office Former Custom House Maritime Buildings 19, 20, 29 and 30 Villiers Street West Park Church 17–29, 32–42 & 45–58 Frederick Street Mowbray Park (certain buildings) Midland Bank National Westminster Bank Barclays Bank Lloyds Bank 11–17, 20–23 25–28 and 45–58 John Street 2 & 3 Mary Street 3–5 Albion Place 19 & 31–33 Norfolk Street 3 & 22 Athenaeum Street Hutchinson's Buildings The Londonderry The Dun Cow 1–7, 105–112, 114–118, 145, 170–173, 176, 211, 212 and 214–217 High Street West 49–51 High Street East
Monkwearmouth and Southwick	Monkwearmouth Library Monkwearmouth College Wheatsheaf Hotel North East Railway Stables Holy Trinity Church St Columba's Church Hebron Church 6 Back North Bridge Street 57 and 58 Barclay Street Southwick Limekilns The Tramcar Inn Thompson Memorial Southwick War Memorial 65–95 James Armitage Street All Saints' Church
Ryhope and Burdon	Railway Inn Ryhope Grange Farmhouse St Paul's Church The Chestnuts and The Wilderness Burdon Hall The Railway Inn 14 Cliff Road Ryhope War Memorial Coqueda Hall Ryhope Rent Office Ryhope Pumping Station
Ashbrooke and Thornholme	Bede Tower Sunderland Synagogue Christ Church West Hendon House St John's Church Carlton House Langham Tower Ashburne House The Crofts Gray House St George's House 3–7 Douro Terrace Valebrooke Gardens Westburn House 1–29 Thornhill Terrace 1–15 Grange Crescent 1–9 The Esplanade Burdon House 1–16 St Bede's Terrace 1–24 Park Place East and West Park Road Methodist Church
Hendon and Grangetown	Hendon Gas Works Quayside Exchange St Aidan's Church Trafalgar Square Merchant Seaman's Almshouses St Ignatius Church Tavistock House Sunderland Orphanage 10 Church Street East Salisbury Street Steps Sunderland Cemetery (certain buildings) Former Methodist Manse Bethesda Free Church 17–23 Murton Street 3–19 Ridley Terrace North Dock (walls and mooring posts) Hudson Dock (certain buildings) Sunderland Harbour South Pier Whylam Wharf Bonded Warehouse
Barnes and Humbledon	Barnes School St Gabriel's Church Kayll Road Library Children's Hospital Humbledon Pumping Station Hill House Bishopwearmouth Cemetery (certain buildings) Barnes Park Bandstand
Deptford, Millfield and Pallion	The Mountain Daisy Public House St Joseph's Church Queen Alexandra Bridge St Mark's Church St Luke's Church Laing Fountain Webster's Ropery
Silksworth and Tunstall	Silksworth Hall Tunstall Lodge Silksworth Cottage Tunstall School Tunstall Hope Lodge
North Hylton and South Hylton	The Shipwrights South Hylton War Memorial The Golden Lion Hylton House 41 & 42 High Street St Mary's Church
Fulwell, Roker and Whitburn Bents	Fulwell Pumping Station The Bents Mere Knolls Cemetery (certain buildings) Roker Park Bandstand Roker Park Drinking Fountain Roker Pier & Lighthouse Andover Fulwell Limekilns 160, 162 & 164 Newcastle Road
Middle and East Herrington	Crow Lane Farmhouse Greystones Ivy House

Washington

Blue House Villa
'F' Pit
The Old Hall Smithy
Low Barmston Farmhouse
Red Hill House
Usworth Hall
Fatfield House
Our Blessed Lady Immaculate Church, Washington

Certain buildings in/on: Peareth Hall Road
The Avenue

Houghton-le-Spring

Houghton-le-Spring	Davenport and Lilburne Almshouses Lilburn House Gilpin House The Villa The Rectory St Michael's Church The Old Mill Laburnum House Houghton Mines Rescue Station High Farm House St Cuthbert's Church Stoneygate Pumping Station Philadelphia Power Station Certain buildings in/on: Nesham Place Front Street, Newbottle Philadelphia Lane
Hetton-le-Hole	St Nicholas' Church, Hetton-le-Hole St Nicholas House Easington Lane War Memorial Pithead Baths Smithy Primitive Methodist Church
Newbottle	Russell House Newbottle Working Men's Club St Matthew's Church, Newbottle Cellar Hill House
Penshaw	All Saints' Church Penshaw House Alice Well Accommodation Arch Boundary Stone