A Century of Ponteland Bridge

Ponteland Bridge recently celebrated its 100 anniversary. The date it was erected is marked by a date stone set into the bridge just next to the Diamond Inn. The stone was restored as part of the 100 year celebrations.

There is a mention of a bridge here in the 15th century and it does seem unlikely that there was no early bridge here but as the river can be quite shallow, for much of the year it could also have been forded. The word "Pont" is Latin and French for "bridge" leading to some speculation that a bridge here led to the name Ponteland however most authorities consider the name to be derived from the river Pont and that this name has a Saxon origin unrelated to the Latin and French, and that Ponteland just means "island in the Pont".

The first bridge here that has a recorded build date was one built in 1751. This was a double arched stone bridge erected by the Ponteland Turnpike Trust to improve the road between Newcastle and Ponteland. This formed part of the Carter Bar route to Scotland and increased traffic along this route in the 19th century led to the replaced of the earlier bridge with a new one in 1843.

Like its predecessor the 1843 bridge was double-arched and relatively low. This impeded the flow of the river, particularly during prolonged periods of rain, making it prone to flooding. There are some dramatic archive photographs from the beginning of the 20th century showing the bridge almost submerged with water cascading around each side of it.

The growth in motor traffic after the First World War necessitated the replacement of the old bridge. It was too narrow for lorries to easily drive past each other. To use the modern parlance, it was no longer "fit for purpose".

The current bridge, built in 1925 consists of reinforced concrete beams which span the river supported on two narrow piers, enabling the river to flow more freely under the bridge even after heavy rain. The parapet wall is broken-up with elegant curved stone balustrades, giving the bridge a pleasant airy feel.