Armstrong Bridge

Armstrong Bridge is a bridge over the Ouseburn, built between 1875 and 1878 by Sir William Armstrong and the Armstrong Works, with input from the Town Improvement Committee. The total cost was £30,000, of which about £5,000 was funded by the town, and it was presented to the town upon completion. The bridge is made of wrought iron, with rock-faced sandstone piers and abutments. It features eight spans that total 552 feet in length, with heights ranging from 30 to 65 feet. Lattice girders rest on the abutments and on seven pairs of square box-section columns supported by stone piers. The girders and columns are mounted on cast iron rocker bearings, and the central column has sliding bearings to accommodate movement from mining subsidence and heat. The bridge is adorned with lattice iron parapets and stone balustrades on the abutments. This type of articulated construction was later used for footbridges over motorways. Sir William Armstrong, who later became Lord Armstrong, was a notable benefactor to Newcastle.