The Victoria Jubilee Bridge, also known as Victoria Bridge, is a road bridge carrying Bridge Road ( A1130) east west across the

River Tees The River Tees (), in England, rises on the eastern slope of Cross Fell in the North Pennines and flows eastwards for to reach the North Sea in the North East of England. The modern-day history of the river has been tied with the industries ...

between Stockton and

Thornaby Thornaby-on-Tees, commonly referred to as Thornaby, is a town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in North Yorkshire, England, north of York and south-east of Middlesbrough. On the south bank of the River Tees, Thornaby falls within th ...

in Northern England. Commonly referred to as the Victoria Bridge, it is located just south east of Stockton town centre and in the town's namesake borough. Under ( 44 & 45 Vict. c. cxlvii), the bridge was constructed (1882–1887) at a cost of £69,051 by Whitaker Brothers of Leeds, financed by the local council, a tramway company, the North Eastern Railway and the water board, and commemorates the 50th year of the reign of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

History

Before the existence of a bridge at this location communication was provided by Bishop's Ferry. The first bridge was a five arch Stockton (stone) Bridge completed in 1771, designed by Joseph Robson of Sunderland. This replaced

Yarm Bridge Yarm Bridge is a Grade II* listed masonry road bridge over the River Tees, connecting the towns of Yarm and Egglescliffe. History The main thoroughfare through the town of Yarm was historically West Street, which at the River Tees led to a f ...

as the lowest bridge point on the River Tees and was toll free by 1820.

Design

The design is a wrought-iron arch bridge by Charles Neate and consulting engineer Harrison Haytor. The foundations of the

abutment An abutment is the substructure at the ends of a bridge span or dam supporting its superstructure. Single-span bridges have abutments at each end that provide vertical and lateral support for the span, as well as acting as retaining walls ...

s and piers are five cylindrical columns, deep and in diameter. The abutments are faced with granite and sandstone and are filled in with large stone rubble. The bridge has three arches – the centre arch is wide and the side arches are . The arches each have eight wrought iron ribs that vary in thickness from at the centre to at the bearings. The deck is carried on buckled plates resting on secondary beams. The road is wide and the pavement wide. The

balustrade A baluster () is an upright support, often a vertical moulded shaft, square, or lathe-turned form found in stairways, parapets, and other architectural features. In furniture construction it is known as a spindle. Common materials used in its ...

s are cast iron with an open design of interlocking circles, and on the

parapet A parapet is a barrier that is an upward extension of a wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian ''parapetto'' (''parare'' 'to cover/defend' and ''petto'' 'chest/brea ...

s are ornamental cast-iron lampposts carrying modern lights while the

spandrel A spandrel is a roughly triangular space, usually found in pairs, between the top of an arch and a rectangular frame, between the tops of two adjacent arches, or one of the four spaces between a circle within a square. They are frequently fil ...

s are open cast-iron work with a design of diminishing interlocking circles. At either side of the bridge are land-based arches that are currently impassable on the upriver side. These were designed to allow horse-drawn barges to pass under the bridge.

Construction

Whitaker Brothers of Leeds began construction in 1882, and completed the bridge in 1887.

Operation

The bridge was opened on 20 June 1887. Shortly after the opening the tram system was extended over the bridge, and the bridge was to be used by trams until 1931. The bridge at this point was the lowest bridge point until the opening of the

Transporter Bridge A transporter bridge, also known as a ferry bridge or aerial transfer bridge, is a type of movable bridge that carries a segment of roadway across a river. The gondola is slung from a tall span by wires or a metal frame. The design has been us ...

in 1911 and the lowest permanent bridge point until the opening of the Newport Bridge in 1934. During the Second World War a bomb passed through the roadway without exploding and the bridge still bears shrapnel damage from the time. The bridge used to carry the A66 and A67 until the

Surtees Bridge The Surtees Bridge is a road bridge carrying the A66(T) road east west across the River Tees near Thornaby-on-Tees in the borough of Stockton-on-Tees in the north east of England. The bridge is situated one kilometre upriver from Stockton t ...

was built in 1981. In 2010 the bridge was made a grade II listed building.

References

Stockton-on-Tees Stockton-on-Tees is a market town in County Durham, England, with a population of 84,815 at the 2021 UK census. It gives its name to and is the largest settlement in the wider Borough of Stockton-on-Tees. It is part of Teesside and the Tees Val ...

town centre , North = , Northeast = Teesdale Business Park , West = , Centre = Victoria Bridge
over the ''

'' , East =

Thornaby railway station Thornaby, originally South Stockton, is a railway station on the Tees Valley Line, which runs between and via . The station, situated south-west of Middlesbrough, serves the market town of Thornaby-on-Tees, Borough of Stockton-on-Tees in Nort ...

, Southwest =

, South = , Southeast =

Thornaby-on-Tees Thornaby-on-Tees, commonly referred to as Thornaby, is a town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in North Yorkshire, England, north of York and south-east of Middlesbrough. On the south bank of the River Tees, Thornaby falls within th ...

{{Crossings navbox , structure = Crossings , place =

, bridge = Victoria Bridge , upstream = Tees Bridge
next road and pedestrian crossing

, downstream = Teesquay Millennium Footbridge
next road crossing

Princess of Wales Bridge The Princess of Wales Bridge, sometimes referred to as the Diana Bridge or the Princess Diana Bridge, is a dual carriageway road bridge named after the late Diana, Princess of Wales. It carries Council of Europe Boulevard across the River Tees, ...

{{stockton Crossings of the River Tees Bridges completed in 1887 Bridges in County Durham Bridges in North Yorkshire Buildings and structures in Stockton-on-Tees Former toll bridges in England Thornaby-on-Tees

History

Design

Construction

Operation

References

External links