Tyne Bridge

Opened in 1928, the Tyne Bridge is a through-arch span of 162 metres, built by Dorman Long of Middlesbrough, the same contractor that built the Sydney Harbour Bridge; the two are often said to be copies of each other, and while Sydney is far larger and was designed first, Newcastle's was completed four years earlier, so the resemblance runs the other way round from how it is usually told. The granite towers at each end were designed as five-storey warehouses, but their floors were never finished and the storage was never used; only the north tower got its lift to the quayside. It was the largest single-span steel arch in the British Isles when built. Around 700 pairs of kittiwakes nest on the bridge and nearby buildings, the furthest inland colony of the species in the world, and their noise is constant in summer. Six other bridges cross the Tyne within a short distance.

The main sights

• The 162-metre arch - the largest single-span steel arch in the British Isles in 1928.
• The Sydney connection - the same builder, finished four years before Sydney.
• The kittiwakes - the world's furthest-inland colony, nesting on the girders.
• The bridge cluster - seven crossings within a short stretch of river.

When to go

Year-round; the quayside below gives the standard view and the Sunday market runs there. Kittiwakes are on the bridge from February to August. The Great North Run crosses it each September.

Before you go

Long-running refurbishment has kept scaffolding and lane closures on the bridge, so photographs may not match the current state. The footway is beside heavy traffic and is loud. Kittiwake droppings are a genuine issue below the nesting girders.

Nearby

The Gateshead Millennium Bridge and Baltic gallery are downstream; Newcastle centre is above.

Key facts