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 towers at each end were designed as warehouses with lifts to the quayside, but the goods lifts were barely used. It was the longest single-span bridge in Britain when built. Kittiwakes nest on the girders, the furthest inland breeding colony of the species in the world, about sixteen kilometres from the sea, and their noise is constant in summer. Six other bridges cross the Tyne within a short distance.

What you actually see

• The 162-metre arch - Britain's longest single span when it opened 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.

Honest expectations

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.