Kingsgate Bridge is a Grade I listed building in the County Durham local planning authority area, England. First listed on 29 May 1998. A 1963 Bridge. 4 related planning applications.
Kingsgate Bridge
- WRENN ID
- fallow-chancel-kestrel
- Grade
- I
- Local Planning Authority
- County Durham
- Constituency
- City of Durham MP: Mary Kelly Foy (Lab)
- Country
- England
- Date first listed
- 29 May 1998
- Type
- Bridge
- Address
- Kingsgate Bridge, River Wear, City of Durham, DH1 1XF
- OS grid reference
- NZ 275 421
- Coordinates
- 54.77313, -1.57261
- Source
- Historic England listing
Description
Kingsgate Bridge is a footbridge over the River Wear in Durham, constructed in 1963. Designed by engineer Ove Arup and Partners, it is made of reinforced concrete using white cement and Shap granite, with surfaces that have been grit blasted. The bridge features two trough-shaped lengths of deck, each supported by V-shaped legs that rest on a single support at the base of the V. The halves of the bridge were built on the banks and then rotated to meet in the middle of the river.
The bridge is connected by bronze expansion joints in the parapets, which are shaped like a T and a U turned 90 degrees and interlocking, symbolizing the connection between the Town and the University. Water spouts at regular intervals drain the deck and add rhythm to the elevations. The tops of the parapets are shaped for structural integrity and to provide a comfortable surface to touch. This striking and well-crafted bridge was personally designed by Sir Ove Arup and was commissioned by the University of Durham. It received a Civic Trust Award in 1965 and won the Concrete Society Certificate of Outstanding Performance in the Mature Structures Category in 1993.
Local climate
Kingsgate Bridge receives an average of 790 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 58% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 96% of listed buildings.
It experiences an average of 41 freeze-thaw cycles a year, more than 79% of listed buildings. Of these, 24 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.
Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.
More on this building
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- No EPC on record for this property
- No sale records on file
- Related listed building consents — 4 applications
- Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
- Flood risk assessment
- Radon risk assessment
- Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
Matched applications, energy data and sale records are assembled automatically and may contain errors. Flag incorrect data.
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