£90,000 facelift for 1831 bridge

The bridge over the River Tees at Whorlton, near Barnard Castle, County Durham, will be closed on September 15 ready for the £90,000 scheme.

The timber decking will be replaced and ironwork painted.

Vehicles will be diverted over the Abbey Bridge at Egglestone Abbey, two miles away.

The bridge required an Act of Parliament before it could be built in 1829.

The foundation stone was laid on June 8 by Miss Headlam, the daughter of Archdeacon Headlam, Rector of Wycliffe and the Archdeacon of Richmond.

Originally, the plans called for an arched bridge made of stone.

The plans came to nothing when a storm resulted in a flood which washed away the bridge's footings. The following day, nothing remained but a pile of stones.

The disaster spelt ruin for the builders, prompting Archdeacon Headlam and a consortium of businessmen to dip into their pockets for an iron suspension bridge.

The resulting bridge was opened on July 7, 1831.

First across was a brass band, followed by the designer John Green, the managing committee on horseback, 27 carriages and scores of interested onlookers.

John Green was a noted bridge-builder. Among his famous constructions were the Scotswood suspension bridge over the River Tyne, Poppleton bridge, over the Ouse, and Penshaw monument, at Weardside.

Interestingly, Green's design had to be substantially strengthened when it proved unstable in high winds, like the Millennium Bridge in London.

A survey of the structure this year revealed that the timber needed to be replaced, and Durham County Council officials decided to have the repainting done at the same time.

The county's director of environment and technical services, Chris Tunstall, said it was impossible to maintain a pedestrian route over it during the work, and this inconvenience was regretted.

He said: "We apologise to drivers for any delays that might occur during the works, and would urge them to leave a little extra time for their journeys."