Haydon Old Bridge. Photo by Northumberland County Council.

Old bridge, now footbridge (previously listed as Haydon Bridge). Grade II. c.1680, altered 20th century. Squared stone. Six segmental arches - four southern with arch rings, two northern ribbed (probably 20th century rebuilds). Triangular chamfered coping on parapet; in 20th century widening on west, set forward. (1)

Bridge rebuilt after flood of 1771, completed 1773. 1806 one arch collapsed which meant rebuilding of three arches. Bridge has six arches. Two most northerly arches recently replaced in concrete. (2)

Haydon Bridge is constructed of squared and coursed sandstone, in places 'tooled and margined', except for the two northern arches which are carried on ribs of reinforced concrete. Repairs and heightening of the parapets are evident from the different degrees of weathering of
the stone.
The bridge consists of six arches, all varying in width, springing from piers with triangular cutwaters which step back in varying numbers of stages to trapezoidal refuges (except that the western refuge of pier 2 is now simply a shallow embayment in the parapet wall). All the arches are segmental in form, but differ greatly in detail. Arches are segmental in form, but differ greatly in detail. Arches A and B, of tooled-and-margined stone, have slightly recessed voussoirs with a narrow chamfer and flush arch rings; arch C has a narrow chamfer to its single order, and an arch ring which stands proud of the wall face; arch D has a single square recessed order and a flush ring; arches E and F are each carried on three segmental arched concrete ribs, supporting a reinforced concrete deck. On the upstream (west) face the walkway and parapet are cantilevered out from the face of the bridge.
The bridge stands on a paved invert, with stone slabs held in place by a system of timber balks and piles, similar but not identical to that exposed beneath the southern arch at Corbridge.
There was a bridge on or near the site in the medieval period; the 'Pontem de Haydon' was referred to in an inquest of March 1309, and in 1336 a grant of pontage for four years issued to Anthony de Lucy for its repair; repairs were again referred to in 1426.
The date of the oldest parts of the present bridge is uncertain; dates of c.1680 and 'late 17th or early 18th century' have been suggested; the form of the oldest parts of the bridge, and the style of the masons' marks they carry, are both very reminiscent of Corbridge Bridge of 1674.
The bridge has suffered a number of vicissitudes, which several sources chronicle, although the details of these are not all easy to relate to the present structure. In 1722 it was impassable and a ferry was operating; building was in progress in 1724, and the bridge was reopened c.1726. Extensive repairs were being carried out in the 1750s. The flood of 1771 seriously damaged the structure, destroying two or three arches at the south end; a ferry was again in use. Messrs Maddison, Leyburn and Nicholson were contracted to rebuild the fallen arches; there was further flood damage in September 1772. Centring was being removed from the new arches in August 1773. The bridge was said to be six arches in 1776. In 1782 the bridge was again impassable after flood damage; one arch had collapsed. Then in December 1806 one arch fell into the river; this is recorded as having been of 95ft span, but this may have been a misprint (59ft?). This necessitated rebuilding three arches, but in another flood in 1815 the two southern arches were carried away. In 1824 the bridge was recorded as having been 'very recently widened and thoroughly repaired'. In a flood of 1829 the 'battlements' (parapets) were thrown down. Problems arise in reconstructing which arches were built, rebuilt or widened at which time.
20th century changes are more accurately recorded. Arches E and F were replaced on reinforced concrete ribs in 1909; arch E had completely collapsed at this time. At the same time arches C and D were widened by the construction of the cantilevered walkway. The remaining section, arches A and B, were similarly widened in 1945. Since this date there have been various repairs and strengthening, and rebuilding of the parapets and sections of the spandrel walls. A temporary bridge was built alongside the present structure in 1967.
The oldest sections of the bridge - piers 2 to 5, and arch D - are probably of late 17th century date, and of the same character as the contemporary bridge at Corbridge. The three southern arches have been reconstructed in the late 18th and early 19th centuries in a broadly similar style. The two northern arches of 1909 detract from the aesthetic appeal of the remainder, although their reinforced concrete construction is of some technological interest.
There appear to be no records of the position of the medieval Haydon Bridge; its remains may be concealed beneath the piers and invert of the present bridge. Archaeologically, the alterations and repairs suffered by the present bridge have probably left little in the way of sub-surface archaeological deposits. It is clear that the ancient fill has been largely removed from the piers of the bridge. One feature of interest is the suite of masons' marks found on the older parts of the bridge. They are similar in overall style to those at Corbridge, although there are more complex geometrical patterns. (3)

Scheduled. (4)

(NY 8434 6429) Haydon Bridge (NAT) (5a)

NY 844 643. Bridge at Haydon Bridge. Scheduled No ND/392. (5b)