As mentioned in my previous post this was the first major bridge of its kind to be designed for vehicles.

Project 2020 which is community group local to the bridge have produced a leaflet full of interesting facts about the bridge:

The remarkable bridge was built by Captain Samuel Brown RN in 1819-20 to demonstrate patents.  Brown had pioneered the development of wrought iron anchor chains and rigging whilst still in the navy.  On his retirement in 1812, he set up an iron works at Millwall,, London.  In 1816 he registered a patent for the manufacture of chain links.  The following year he filed another patent for ‘improvements in suspension bridges’ which included his flexible chain link design which had been developed from ships’ rigging blocks.

The opportunity to put his theories into practice came in 1819 when the Berwick and North Durham Turnpike Trustees commissioned Captain Brown to build the Union Chain Bridge.  The bridge took less than a year to build and, with a record-breaking span of 137m/449ft, cost just £7,700, significantly cheaper and quicker than constructing a traditional stone bridge.

The bridge was opened with much ceremony on  26th July 1820.  Captain Brown demonstrated its strength by driving across a curricle, followed by 12 loaded carts, estimated to weigh 20 tons!  These were followed by 600 spectators eager to cross to the other side.  The event was witnessed by leading Scottish engineer Robert Stevenson and soon the bridge attracted visitors from all over Europe.  Leading French engineer Charles Navier, accompanied by eighteen year old Isambard Brunel travelled here in April 1823 to study this remarkable structure.  Isambard’s father Marc, the famous engineer, visited two weeks later.

Maintenance was paid for by the revenue from tolls.  The Toll Keeper’s Cottage was originally built into the red sandstone cliffs on the English side.  Around the 1900s a family of five lived in the two rooms.  The cottage was demolished in  1955, a commemorative plaque marks where it stood.

Prior to the building of the bridge, those wishing to cross the River Tweed between Horncliffe on the English side and Paxton on the Scottish side would have to negotiate the New Water Ford.  This could be quite dangerous, especially if there had been a flood or it was high tide.  As industrialisation took hold there was a growing demand to transport coal and lime from north Northumberland into Berwickshire which made it necessary to bridge the river.

The bridge was designed by Captain Samuel Brown, he used a revolutionary technique to suspend the deck using iron bars instead of cables.

A Grand Opening

We take easy transport for granted, but in 1820 a round trip to the other side could take days.   So the opening of the bridge was cause for a celebration.

On the big day, an excited audience gathered, cramming the river banks on both sides.  Captain Brown raced across the bridge first in an open topped carriage, cheering and waving.  He was followed by a dozen heavily laden carts to prove the strength of the bridge.

With the bridge tested to their satisfaction, hundreds of spectators flooded through the toll gates, marvelling at their new crossing.*

It is still possible for vehicles to cross the bridge, but only one vehicle at a time is allowed.

*Information taken from a plaque by the bridge.