Trial and Error

In 1969 the experimental, progressive rock band Nice premiered a new work, commissioned for the Newcastle Arts Festival, and titled 'Five Bridges'. The music was subsequently released as a live recording (on vinyl, of course) of a performance later that year. It got mixed reviews and is now largely forgotten. It sticks in my mind because a good and loyal friend had a copy in his university rooms, and his avant-garde tastes put my affection for gauche English folk music to shame. The title, of course, honours the five bridges that crossed the river Tyne, linking Newcastle and Gateshead - bridges that are much celebrated, and seen as iconic of this independent-minded region, along with two more that have been constructed since those days 

This is also a Tyne bridge, but this one is Hexham, not one of the celebrated city ones. However, it pre-dates them all by 50 years or more and, until 1976, could claim to be the first bridge on the Tyne. The North Tyne and South Tyne rivers join just west of Hexham to form 'the Tyne'. A much less picturesque, concrete bridge was built 2km upstream as part of Hexham bypass in that year, an unworthy usurper of the title

It seems that the Tyne is a river that is much underestimated. The first bridge here (in fact a few hundred metres upstream) was completed in 1770, just in time for it to be washed away by floodwaters - caused by heavy rain and melting snow - in only 1771. A second attempt, even further upstream, in 1774 was abandoned when preparatory work discovered quicksand below the river gravel! 

Work began yet again on the current site in 1777 and, yet again, the river had its way: half-completed piers were washed away in 1778. Nevertheless, they were rebuilt, and a bridge completed in 1780. This one outlasted the previous attempt, enduring until 1782, when the structure fell over sideways, converting the bridge into a weir, which is still marked as such on today's OS map

This comedy of errors was brought to an end when the poisoned chalice was passed to a Scot called Myers, who learned his trade in Italy and built Blackfriars bridge in London. He finally completed this elegant structure in 1793

The 1970s erection of the young pretender upstream, was not quite so shambolic, but the Tyne did not let them off scot-free. During construction, a flood in 1975 washed away shuttering and scaffolding. Even since the bridge was finished, further strengthening has been necessary due to flood damage