Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge
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The Tees Transporter Bridge, also referred to as the Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge or, locally, as The Transporter, is a bridge over the
River Tees The River Tees (), in England, rises on the eastern slope of Cross Fell in the North Pennines and flows eastwards for to reach the North Sea in the North East of England. The modern-day history of the river has been tied with the industries ...
in
northern England Northern England, or the North of England, refers to the northern part of England and mainly corresponds to the Historic counties of England, historic counties of Cheshire, Cumberland, County Durham, Durham, Lancashire, Northumberland, Westmo ...
. The northern side is in Port Clarence (
Stockton-on-Tees Stockton-on-Tees is a market town in County Durham, England, with a population of 84,815 at the 2021 UK census. It gives its name to and is the largest settlement in the wider Borough of Stockton-on-Tees. It is part of Teesside and the Tees Val ...
) and the southern side is in
Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ), colloquially known as Boro, is a port town in the Borough of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. Lying to the south of the River Tees, Middlesbrough forms part of the Teesside Built up area, built-up area and the Tees Va ...
. It is grade II* listed and the longest existing transporter in the world. Its winch house and piers are grade II listed. It is the furthest downstream bridge crossing over the river. It is classed as the A178 road, the road between Middlesbrough and
Hartlepool Hartlepool ( ) is a seaside resort, seaside and port town in County Durham, England. It is governed by a unitary authority borough Borough of Hartlepool, named after the town. The borough is part of the devolved Tees Valley area with an estimat ...
. the bridge has not been operational since 2019 due to safety concerns, and it is not expected to return to operation for a number of years, though a report on how to do this has been published. When working, the bridge carries a travelling 'car,' or 'gondola,' suspended below the fixed structure, across the river in 90 seconds. The gondola can carry 200 people, nine cars, or six cars and one minibus.


History

The idea of a transporter bridge across the River Tees was first mooted in 1872 when Charles Smith, manager of the Hartlepool Iron Works, submitted a scheme to Middlesbrough Corporation. However, the scheme was not pursued, and it would not be until the new century that the idea of a transporter bridge across the river would again be revisited. Following a 1907
act of Parliament (UK) An act of Parliament in the United Kingdom is primary legislation passed by the UK Parliament in Palace of Westminster, Westminster, London. An act of Parliament can be enforced in all four of the Countries of the United Kingdom, UK constitue ...
, the ( 7 Edw. 7. c. xx), the bridge was built at a cost of £68,026 6 s 8 d (equivalent to £ in values), by Sir William Arrol & Co. of Glasgow between 1910 and 1911 to replace the 'Hugh Bell' and 'Erimus' steam
ferry A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus ...
services. A transporter bridge was chosen because Parliament ruled that the new scheme of crossing the river had to avoid affecting the river navigation. Construction work started in July 1909 with caissons being used to allow workers to dig down to bedrock. This turned out to be below the high tide mark on the Middlesbrough side and on the other. The shafts that had been dug out by this process were then filled with
concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of aggregate bound together with a fluid cement that cures to a solid over time. It is the second-most-used substance (after water), the most–widely used building material, and the most-manufactur ...
. The formal laying of the foundation stones, made of Aberdeen granite, took place in August 1910 when they were laid by the Mayor of Middlesbrough, Thomas Gibson-Poole, and
Alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law with similar officials existing in the Netherlands (wethouder) and Belgium (schepen). The term may be titular, denotin ...
Joseph McLauchlan, the initiator of the transporter bridge scheme. The opening ceremony on 17 October 1911 was performed by Prince Arthur of Connaught. At its opening the bridge was painted red. During the
First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, Middlesbrough was bombed by an L11 Zeppelin in April 1916. During this raid it was reported that a bomb fell through the structure before hitting the river below. During the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the superstructure of the bridge was hit by a bomb. In 1953, the gondola got stuck halfway. While it was stuck,
gale A gale is a strong wind; the word is typically used as a descriptor in nautical contexts. The U.S. National Weather Service defines a gale as sustained surface wind moving at a speed between .
force winds lashed water to within inches of it; despite this, the bridge continued to operate. In 1961, the bridge was painted blue. In 1974, the comedy actor Terry Scott, travelling between his hotel in Middlesbrough and a performance at the
Billingham Billingham is a List of towns in England, town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in County Durham, England. The town is on the north side of the River Tees and is governed as part of the Borough of Stockton-on-Tees unitary authority ...
Forum, mistook the bridge for a regular toll crossing and drove his
Jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large felidae, cat species and the only extant taxon, living member of the genus ''Panthera'' that is native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the biggest cat spe ...
off the end of the roadway, landing in the safety netting beneath. In December 1993, the bridge was awarded the
Institution of Mechanical Engineers The Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) is an independent professional association and learned society headquartered in London, United Kingdom, that represents mechanical engineers and the engineering profession. With over 110,000 member ...
' highest honour, the Heritage Plaque, for engineering excellence, in recognition of the council's efforts in keeping the bridge in good working order. Its historical importance was also recognised in 1985 by its listing as a Grade II*
Listed Building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
, and its prominence as a local landmark was further enhanced in 1993 by the installation of floodlights that operate during the winter months. In July 2000, a visitor centre was opened on land previously occupied by the bridge workshop. In 2011, the Tees Transporter Bridge received a £2.6 million
Heritage Lottery Fund The National Lottery Heritage Fund, formerly the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), distributes a share of National Lottery funding, supporting a wide range of heritage projects across the United Kingdom. History The fund's predecessor bodies were ...
award for improvement and renovation work to mark the bridge's centenary. The improvement works included the installation of a glass viewing lift to the landmark's upper walkway and renovation of the gondola. The bridge was closed on 27 August 2013 for 40 days of repainting. It was then discovered that repairs were needed. In the same year, the Tees Transporter Bridge Anniversary Award was inaugurated as part of the Transporter Bridge's Heritage Lottery Fund-supported Visitor Experience Project in partnership with the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CIHT) and
Teesside University Teesside University is a public university with its main campus in Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire in North East England. It was officially opened as ''Constantine Technical College'' in 1930, before becoming a polytechnic in 1969, and finally g ...
. The inaugural award winner was Stephen Brown in autumn 2013, with Jason Dunnett receiving the accolade in autumn 2014. On 5 March 2015, the
Royal Mail Royal Mail Group Limited, trading as Royal Mail, is a British postal service and courier company. It is owned by International Distribution Services. It operates the brands Royal Mail (letters and parcels) and Parcelforce Worldwide (parcels) ...
issued a set of 10 First Class commemorative postage stamps featuring iconic British bridges including the Tees Transporter Bridge. The bridge was re-opened for traffic on 6 April 2015, but improvement work continued with the bridge still in daily use. These were completed in September 2015 after more than £4 million had been spent on the structure. In August 2019, the bridge was temporarily closed due to safety concerns. It is thought that repairs could cost up to £7 million and it remains closed with its future under discussion.


Local culture

Locally, the bridge is often referred to simply as 'the Transporter'. The bridge hosts an annual vintage bus running day, organised by The 500 Group. On this one day per year, usually a Sunday in April, vintage buses take people on free rides around
Teesside Teesside () is an urban area around the River Tees in North East England. Straddling the border between County Durham and North Yorkshire, it spans the boroughs of Borough of Middlesbrough, Middlesbrough, Borough of Stockton-on-Tees, Stockton ...
. As part of the 2006 and 2007 events, the bridge made a special trip carrying a former Teesside Municipal Transport
Daimler Fleetline The Daimler Fleetline (known as the Leyland Fleetline from circa 1975) is a rear-engined double-decker bus chassis which was built between 1960 and 1983. It was the second of three bus models to have a marque name as well as an alphanumeric ...
, the first time a
double-decker bus A double-decker bus is a bus that has two storeys or decks. Double-deckers are used primarily for commuter transport, but open-top models are used as sightseeing buses for tourists, and there are coaches too for long-distance travel. They app ...
had used the bridge in 30 years. It has been featured in films and TV programmes including ''
Boys from the Blackstuff ''Boys from the Blackstuff'' is a five episode British drama television series, originally transmitted from 10 October to 7 November 1982 on BBC2. The serial was written by Liverpudlian playwright Alan Bleasdale, as a sequel to a television pl ...
'', ''
Billy Elliot ''Billy Elliot'' is a 2000 British coming-of-age Comedy film, comedy-drama film directed by Stephen Daldry and written by Lee Hall (playwright), Lee Hall. Set in County Durham in North East England during the 1984–1985 miners' strike, the fi ...
'', ''
The Fast Show ''The Fast Show'', also known as ''Brilliant'' in the United States, is a BBC comedy sketch show that ran on BBC Two, BBC 2 from 1994 to 1997, with specials in 2000 and 2014. The show's central performers were Paul Whitehouse, Charlie Higson, Si ...
'', ''
Spender ''Spender'' is a British television police procedural drama, created by Ian La Frenais and Jimmy Nail, that first broadcast on 8 January 1991 on BBC1. The series, which also starred Nail as the titular character, ran for three series between 1 ...
'', ''
Vera Vera may refer to: Names *Vera (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) * Vera (given name), a given name (including a list of people and fictional characters with the name) **Vera (), archbishop of the archdiocese of Tarr ...
'', and '' Steel River Blues''. During the
millennium A millennium () is a period of one thousand years, one hundred decades, or ten centuries, sometimes called a kiloannum (ka), or kiloyear (ky). Normally, the word is used specifically for periods of a thousand years that begin at the starting ...
celebrations of 2000,
firework Fireworks are Explosive, low explosive Pyrotechnics, pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large numbe ...
s were fired from its length. The storyline of the third series of ''
Auf Wiedersehen, Pet ''Auf Wiedersehen, Pet'' () is a British comedy-drama television programme about seven British construction workers who leave the United Kingdom to search for employment overseas. In the first series, the men live and work on a building site ...
'' saw the bridge dismantled to be sold to and re-erected in the United States. The local council received calls from people worried that the bridge was really being pulled down, with the BBC adding a disclaimer on the end of the final episode of the series stating that 'The Transporter Bridge is still in Middlesbrough'.


See also

* Newport Transporter Bridge – a similar bridge in South East Wales; * Tees Newport Bridge – a vertical-lift bridge upstream of Middlesbrough. * Warrington Transporter Bridge – a similar bridge in North West England, now disused.


References

* Anon. (1911) "The transporter bridge over the River Tees", ''The Engineer'', 112 (September) * Fernández Troyano, Leonardo (2003) ''Bridge engineering : a global perspective ierra sobre el agua', London : Thomas Telford, * Prade, Marcel (1988) ''Ponts et viaducs au XIXe siècle'', Poitiers (France) : Brissaud, * Prade, Marcel (1990) ''Les grands ponts du monde: Ponts remarquables d'Europe'', Poitiers (France) : Brissaud, * Woodhouse, Robert (2009) ''Tees Valley Curiosities'', Stroud, Gloucestershire : The History Press,


External links


Middlesbrough Council official Transporter Bridge page

Middlesbrough Council – Transporter Bridge friends and volunteers

The Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge at BBC Tees
* {{Authority control Transporter bridges Bridges in County Durham Bridges in North Yorkshire Transporter Bridge Crossings of the River Tees Grade II* listed buildings in North Yorkshire Bridges completed in 1911 Buildings and structures in Middlesbrough Toll bridges in England 1911 establishments in England Grade II* listed bridges in England