The historic Iron Bridge within the grounds of Cragside was re-opened in 2009 for the first time in nearly 30 years.  The 19th century bridge spans the Debdon Burn and until that time the grade II listed bridge had been closed due to safety concerns.

It is now possible for visitors to walk across the bridge, providing magnificent views of the house and rock garden along with views of the Debdon valley with its waterfalls.

The bridge was manufactured in the Elswick Works and transported in bits to Cragside where it was constructed in situ. The bridge was designed by the owner of the estate, Lord Armstrong, who wished to provide walking access from the house to the formal gardens.

I invite you to join me at Vision & Verb where talk about the town of Ironbridge, the building of the famous Iron Bridge and the Irongbridge Gorge which is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The world’s first cast iron bridge was built over the River Severn at Coalbrookdale in 1779.

From Wiki:

In the early eighteenth century, the only way to cross the Severn Gorge was by ferry. However, the industries that were growing in the area of Coalbrookdale and Broseley needed a more reliable crossing.

In 1773, Thomas Farnolls Pritchard^[1] wrote to a local ironmaster, John Wilkinson of Broseley, to suggest building a bridge out of cast iron. By 1775, Pritchard had finalised the plans, but he died in December 1777, only a month after work had begun.^[2]

Abraham Darby III, who was the grandson of the first foundry owner and an ironmaster working at Coalbrookdale in the gorge, was commissioned to cast and build the bridge. The iron for the new bridge was cast at his foundry.

The worlds first cast iron bridge was built over the river Severn at Coalbrookdale in 1779.