Swing Bridge, Lock and Walls of North End of Dock is a Grade II listed building in the Sunderland local planning authority area, England. First listed on 26 November 1990. A Industrial Bridge.

Swing Bridge, Lock and Walls of North End of Dock

WRENN ID
gilded-pinnacle-cedar
Grade
II
Local Planning Authority
Sunderland
Constituency
Sunderland Central MP: Lewis Atkinson (Lab)
Country
England
Date first listed
26 November 1990
Type
Bridge
Period
Industrial
Address
Swing Bridge, Lock and Walls of North End of Dock, Hudson Dock North
OS grid reference
NZ 410 576
Coordinates
54.91229, -1.36166
Source
Historic England listing

Also on this page: flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

The swing bridge, lock, and walls at the north end of Hudson Dock in Sunderland were built around 1875 for the River Wear Commissioners. This structure, also known as Gladstone Bridge, features ashlar walls and abutments, along with a steel lock gate that was replaced in 1955. The bridge itself is a riveted steel girder design, referred to as Hog-back bridge. At the eastern end, it is set within a curved stone wall, while the western end rests against an extension of that wall when the bridge is open to the dock. When closed, the bridge forms a roadway across the north end, with its west end supported by a stone abutment. The bridge is operated by hydraulic machinery created by Sir W. Armstrong & Co. and is powered by engines and an accumulator located in the adjacent dock office, which now serves various office purposes. This structure is an early example of both a swing bridge and the hydraulic technology developed by Sir William Armstrong, as depicted in the official plan of the docks from 1875.

Local climate

Swing Bridge, Lock and Walls of North End of Dock sits in a drier-than-average part of the UK, with an average of 720 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 83% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 95% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 27 freeze-thaw cycles a year, fewer than 71% of listed buildings. Of these, 15 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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Nearby listed buildings

  1. Dock Office at North End of Hudson Dock with Hydraulic Accumulator, Walls and Piers Grade II 22 m
  2. Wall and Pier at Lock at North End of Tide Basin Grade II 181 m
  3. Lampholder in Centre of Trafalgar Square Grade II 572 m
  4. Forecourt Wall, Piers and Railings to North of Trafalgar Square Almshouses Grade II 574 m
  5. Trafalgar Square Merchant Seamen's Almshouses Grade II 577 m
  6. Forecourt Walls Gate and Railings to Caretaker's Cottage Church of Holy Trinity Grade II 610 m
  7. Caretaker's Cottage to Church of Holy Trinity and Attached Wall Grade II 615 m
  8. Wall to North of Church of Holy Trinity Churchyard Grade II 637 m
  9. Machinery Pit to West of Swing Bridge at East Side of Dock Grade II 639 m
  10. 10, Church Street East Grade II* 646 m