Inside Darlington's Cleveland Bridge as assets go under auction

HISTORIC assets and equipment at the famous Darlington manufacturer Cleveland Bridge will go under the hammer tomorrow, after prospective buyers were invited to view the site on Tuesday.

Dozens made their way through the gates of the Yarm Road site to meticulously trawl through the machinery left behind by the ailing business.

The demise of the industry powerhouse was laid bare as the site’s main factory was stripped of all machinery save for some equipment, wires and workbenches.

Cleveland Bridge’s closure was confirmed in September after a global search by a team of administrators from FRP failed to find a buyer willing to take on a £21million mountain of debt and turn the business around.

The Northern Echo:

A damning statement declared: “With no current viable offers remaining to take the business on, we must now prepare for a property and asset sale.”

The sale is described as “Heavy fabrication and metalworking machinery and equipment, including welding, shotblast, machine tools, containers, lifting equipment and vehicles.”

Thousands of pounds worth of machinery will change hands in today’s auction but a walk around the Yarm Road site by The Northern Echo on Tuesday found a previously bustling factory frozen in time.

The Northern Echo:

The sale will be a bitter moment for more than 150 workers who have had their lives turned upside down by the sheer speed of the financial crash, the calling in of adminstrators, the failure of the search for a buyer and now this last option.

Inside the building’s office quarter a photographic timeline runs along a hallway, chronicling all the work the famous manufacturer completed around the world.

The Northern Echo:

Starting in 1849, with the High Level Bridge in Newcastle it followed the businesses journey all the way to its latest project on the bridge over the River Witham in Lincoln.

Cleveland Bridge’s closure was seen as a hammer blow for Darlington, but one final glimmer of hope is that staff with huge amounts of experience will continue to work.

View more pictures of the factory below

The Northern Echo: