Berwick Bridge. Photo by Northumberland County Council, 1971.

[NT 995 527] Berwick Bridge (NR). (1)

Berwick Bridge, known as the Old Bridge, was erected between 1610 and 1634. (2)

Scheduled. (3)

In good condition and in normal use as a road bridge. See G.P. (4)

Berwick Bridge (formerly listed as The Old Bridge Bridge End) Grade 1.
1611-34. 15 arches with cutwaters having columns and busts. 1164 feet long, 17 feet wide, the arches increasing in height up to 45 feet high on North end. One of the finest bridges in the country. AM. (5)

Additional reference. (6)

Complete account of the building of Berwick upon Tweed Bridge. Work started on the 19th June 1611 and was probably virtually complete by 1625-26, although there are references to paving the bridge and finishing the parapet in 1626-27. (7)

Berwick Bridge. In good condition and in normal use as a road Bridge. Surveyed at 1:1250. (8)

One of the larger and more important early road bridges in Britain. It was built between 1611 and 1624. It was part of the Edinburgh-London trunk road until 1928 when the Royal Tweed Bridge was built (NT 95 SE 71). There are fifteen semi-circular arches increasing in height towards the Berwick end. The longest span is 75ft. (9)

Test pits excavated in 2001 exposed the original bridge structure surviving beneath a range of road levelling deposits. Two of these deposits are likely to be pre-20th century. A whinstone sett surface is suggested by some whinstone fragments. The original bridge surface may have been lined with sandstone flagstones as a lime mortar bed was found, but no flagstones were noted. The structure of pier 3 was examined and showed that after initial construction of the outer wall, masonry waste was used to fill the void together with a considerable quantity of lime mortar; this is thought to have enhanced the stability and flexibility of the bridge. The lime mortar contained a high water content and therefore had a high plasticity, this would lead to a greater absorption of traffic vibration when damp. (10)

A watching brief carried out by AD Archaeology Ltd during 2014 partly revealed an alignment of sandstones located at a depth of 0.58m below the existing ground level. It is probable that this feature relates to the construction of the north abutment wall, possibly as a plinth on the inner side of the wall, which was overlain by sandstone rubble and a sandy clay deposit forming backing to the abutment. However the small size of the groundworks monitored means that it is uncertain if this is the case. (11)

Berwick Bridge, 90m south of the Royal Tweed Bridge. (12)

A watching brief on groundworks in 2017 revealed layers of road makeup directly on the sandstone masonry of the secondary arch. Early sandstone kerbs and a later cobbled surface were also uncovered. The watching brief established a sequence of road widening and narrowing with the addition of modern tarmac footpaths and road surfaces. (13)

Additional reference. (14)