The Old Tyne Bridge

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This is the Old Tyne Bridge, a fantastical medieval structure loaded with towers, houses, shops, chapels and defensive gates. It stood for 500 years before being destroyed in the Great Flood of 1771. But did you know that parts of the old bridge still survive today? 🧵

The stone-arched Old Tyne Bridge was built as a replacement for the burnt-out Roman bridge following the fire of 1248. Timber buildings were piled like stacking blocks along each edge of the bridge, with their jettied upper floors projecting out over the river.

The most substantial buildings on the Old Tyne Bridge were three stone towers—the Magazine Gate at the Newcastle end, the Tower on the Bridge near the middle, and the Drawbridge Tower at the Gateshead end.

The Old Tyne Bridge's Magazine Gate displayed gruesome sights. The heads of executed criminals were "exposed to public gaze" on spikes. William "Braveheart" Wallace's upper right quarter was spiked on the bridge. (His "unmentionable part" was displayed in the Castle Keep.)

Two-thirds of the Old Tyne Bridge was owned by Newcastle and one-third by Gateshead/Durham. The boundary was marked by a large pavement slab known as the Blue Stone. This has been preserved and can be found today in the @NewcastleCastle Keep. (Unlike Braveheart's part...)

The Old Tyne Bridge was a hive of pioneering booksellers. The first book catalogue was printed on the bridge in 1693 by Joseph Hall. In the 1700s, there were at least 8 book shops on the bridge. Robinson Crusoe author Daniel Defoe lived near the Gateshead end of the bridge.

The Old Tyne Bridge was destroyed early on a Sunday morning, 17 November 1771, during "the most dreadful inundation" that ever befell Tyneside—the Great Flood. It was a day of horror, suffering, and great bravery. At least 8 people died, but many more were rescued.

Remarkably, the Old Tyne Bridge rose again more than a century after it fell. In 1887, during the Newcastle Jubilee Exhibition, a two-thirds scale replica was built over the lake on the part of the Town Moor now known as Exhibition Park.

The medieval Old Tyne Bridge was destroyed more than 250 years ago but is still a listed building and scheduled ancient monument. That's because 2 of its land arches survive today. One is visible in the basement of the Watergate Building (Sambuca restaurant) on Sandhill.

The story of the Old Tyne Bridge and the people who lived on it is one of mysteries, miracles and murders. Lots more about the various old Tyne bridges in my book about the current Tyne Bridge, which is out on 3 Nov. tynebridgebook.com/

Check my timeline @paulbrownUK for more Tyne Bridge threads, including one about the Roman Tyne Bridge: twitter.com/paulbrownUK/status/1582325654585888768