Royal Border Bridge

"Berwick viaduct" redirects here. For the small road bridge in Berwick-upon-Tweed, see Berwick Bridge. For the larger road bridge in Berwick-upon-Tweed, see Royal Tweed Bridge.

Royal Border Bridge
Royal Border Bridge
Coordinates	55.7724°N 2.0132°W / 55.7724; -2.0132
OS grid reference	NT992532
Carries	East Coast Main Line
Crosses	River Tweed
Locale	Northumberland
Other name(s)	Berwick Viaduct Tweed Viaduct
Owner	Network Rail
Maintained by	Network Rail
Heritage status	Grade I listed
Network Rail Bridge ID	ECM7-195
Preceded by	A1 River Tweed Bridge
Followed by	Royal Tweed Bridge
Characteristics
Design	Arch bridge
Material	Brick, faced with stone
Total length	659 m (2,162 ft)
Height	38.4 m (126 ft)
No. of spans	28
Piers in water	13
Rail characteristics
No. of tracks	2
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Electrified	25 kV 50 Hz AC OHLE
History
Designer	Robert Stephenson
Engineering design by	Thomas Elliot Harrison
Constructed by	McKay & Blackstock
Construction start	15 May 1847
Construction end	1850
Opened	March 1850 (1850-03)
Inaugurated	29 August 1850 by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert
Location

Royal Border Bridge spans the River Tweed between Berwick-upon-Tweed and Tweedmouth in Northumberland, England. It is a Grade I listed railway viaduct built between 1847 and 1850, when it was opened by Queen Victoria. It was designed by Robert Stephenson for the York, Newcastle and Berwick Railway and remains in regular use as part of the East Coast Main Line. Despite its name, the bridge does not span the border between England and Scotland, which is approximately 3 miles (5 km) further north.

The bridge is 659 metres (2,162 ft) long. It is constructed in stone with brick soffits to the arches. It has 28 arches, each spanning 18 m (60 ft). The railway is carried 37 m (121 ft) above the river level. In 1989, the East Coast Main Line was electrified. Between 1993 and 1996, the bridge was repaired for the first time in a Railtrack-led project, which was partially funded by English Heritage.

Construction

The Royal Border Bridge was built by the Newcastle and Berwick Railway (N&BR), which was formed in 1845 under the control of George Hudson. The line was authorised by an Act of Parliament and construction had commenced by July 1845. Much of the line was completed within two years but work on several structures, including the Royal Border Bridge, had barely begun.

The line required the construction of several major structures and the Royal Border Bridge took the line over the River Tweed close to Berwick-upon-Tweed in Northumberland. In 1847, Hudson was instrumental in the merger of the N&BR with the York and Newcastle Railway (Y&NR) to form the York, Newcastle and Berwick Railway (YN&BR) whose line would eventually be continuous between London and Edinburgh.

The company's chief engineer was Robert Stephenson. Thomas Elliot Harrison engineered the route supervised by Stephenson who had a hands-on role in the design of the key bridges along the route, although some detailed work was performed by others.

The viaduct, which is built on a gentle curve, is a conventional masonry structure. It has 28 arches, 15 of which are over land south of the River Tweed and 13 over the river. The arches are set out in two groups separated by a stop pier. The bridge has brickwork soffits on the underside of the arches, and is covered by stone cladding. The bridge is 38.4 m (126 ft) at the deepest point of the riverbed. It is 659 m (2,162 ft) long and each arch span measures 18.6 m (61 ft). The bridge contract covered a mile length including the earth embankments.

On 15 May 1847, the foundation stone for the bridge, which was called the Tweed Viaduct, was laid. Cumberland-based McKay & Blackstock was appointed to built the bridge and George Barclay Bruce, a former apprentice of Stephenson's, was the resident engineer responsible for overseeing the day to day work. The Royal Border Bridge required eight million cubic feet (227,000 m³) of stone and the arch soffits required 2.5 million bricks. Techniques employed in the construction of Newcastle's High Level Bridge were used on the bridge. Upwards of 2,700 men were needed to build the bridge.

The bridge's deep foundation were driven into the bedrock, which was covered by about 12 m (39 ft) of gravel, using a patented Nasmyth steam-powered pile driver. The foundations were constructed inside deep cofferdams and steam-driven pumps kept out water.

The first elements completed were the 15 land arches and the stop pier which buttressed the remaining arches. The river piers were shaped at water level so that sheets of ice in the river would be broken-up on contact and iron bars were embedded into the masonry for greater strength. These were covered by alterations made to accommodate an extra track.

Operations

While the permanent structure was still under construction, several temporary timber viaducts were deployed and used by early train services, as well as by construction-related traffic. In this fashion, the overall route could be opened without having to wait for the completion of the Royal Border Bridge, somewhat alleviating pressure from investors. This decision proved beneficial as, while the permanent structure had been intended to be completed in July 1849, it was not ready to carry rail traffic until March 1850. On 29 August 1850, the bridge was officially opened in a ceremony officiated by the reigning monarch, Queen Victoria, and Prince Albert; it was at this event that the Queen consented for the structure to be formally named as the Royal Border Bridge.

During 1989, as a part of the East Coast Main Line electrification programme, the structure was modified by British Rail to accommodate the installation of electrification gantries. As a consequence of the Royal Border Bridge having been recognised with Grade 1 listed status, the overhead line infrastructure used was specially designed for a reduced visual impact on the bridge and had to be reviewed and approved by the Royal Fine Art Commission prior to its installation. The installation allows for electric traction to traverse the bridge.

After having stood for 143 years as a major part of the East Coast Main Line, the Royal Border Bridge underwent significant maintenance for the first time during 1993. The restoration programme, which was largely focused upon repairs to the 15 land-based arches, was undertaken as a joint project between the newly-founded railway infrastructure maintenance firm Railtrack and English Heritage.

During early 2010, plans were mooted for the installation of a night-time illumination scheme upon the Royal Border Bridge; at the time, this measure was promoted as being a commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the death of Robert Stephenson. Originally meant to be operational by November 2010, weather conditions, particularly ice, damaged underwater cables, delaying the illumination and preventing some lights from functioning. In January 2012, Northumberland County Council filed its application for a permanent lighting system to be installed. During 2016, the bridge was fitted with colour-changing lights; the installation was completed in time for the structure's 160th anniversary.

Royal Border Bridge with 25 of the 28 arches in view

Royal Border Bridge with 27 of the 28 arches in view

A panorama from up-river, showing all 28 arches of the Royal Border Bridge over the River Tweed

External links

• Information from the SINE project, University of Newcastle upon Tyne.
• Details on the repair project
• Tweed bridges