Newcastle Swing Bridge Neglect fury as Landmark Set to Remain Broken for 150th Anniversary
Tyneside’s famous Swing Bridge looks certain to remain broken for its 150th anniversary next year. Bosses have been accused of “neglecting” the malfunctioning Victorian landmark, with little sign of its rotating mechanism being repaired – six years after the bridge last successfully swung open.
He added: “It is essential that we are able to get to a point where we are able to announce something positive and we are able to see the bridge restored to a functioning, swinging bridge.”
Lib Dem Rob Austin said that it was “rather embarrassing that the Swing Bridge will be celebrating its 150th birthday in July and won’t be able to swing for it”. Gateshead Labour transport chief John McElroy suggested that a new aim could be to have it repaired to coincide with the end of the Tyne Bridge’s restoration in 2028, to allow for a “festival of the bridges” to be held.
While Newcastle Central and West MP Chi Onwurah has led a campaign to have the Swing Bridge fixed in time to celebrate its 150th birthday in summer 2026, there have been concerns for years about the complexity of the job and significant funding it will require. Furious councillors warned on Monday morning that the situation had become “rather embarrassing”.
The Newcastle Chronicle is reporting that members of Newcastle and Gateshead councils’ Joint Tyne Bridges Committee were told that local authority officials and the Port of Tyne, which is responsible for the bridge’s swinging mechanism, would meet in the new year ahead of a feasibility study being launched to determine the scale of the repairs required and their costs. Given that a funding source for any works would also need to be found once a repairs programme is drawn up, it would appear extremely unlikely that the William Armstrong-designed bridge will be fixed by next summer.
Newcastle Lib Dem councillor Pauline Allen said the port authority seemed to be “neglecting” the bridge and was “not that bothered”. She added: “Perhaps they need to take a bit more responsibility. I think a heritage asset such as this deserves a bit more respect.”
The committee has raised concerns regularly about the condition of the Swing Bridge, which is thought to have swung open around 300,000 times in its history but has not done so since November 2019. Alex Hay, Labour’s deputy leader of Newcastle City Council, told Monday’s meeting: “This is part of Newcastle and Gateshead’s heritage and it is absolutely vital that work is undertaken to return the Swing Bridge to a functioning, swinging bridge. Port of Tyne need to have pressure applied to them.”
He added: “It is essential that we are able to get to a point where we are able to announce something positive and we are able to see the bridge restored to a functioning, swinging bridge.”
Lib Dem Rob Austin said that it was “rather embarrassing that the Swing Bridge will be celebrating its 150th birthday in July and won’t be able to swing for it”. Gateshead Labour transport chief John McElroy suggested that a new aim could be to have it repaired to coincide with the end of the Tyne Bridge’s restoration in 2028, to allow for a “festival of the bridges” to be held.
A spokesperson for the Port of Tyne said: “The Port of Tyne has welcomed the meeting with the Heritage Minister, Baroness Twycross, Chi Onwurah MP, local authorities and other key stakeholders on 28 November 2025, to review the wider challenges of required works to permit the swinging of the bridge. The repair of the bridge’s unique swing mechanism and the cost of restoring and maintaining this heritage infrastructure is significant and beyond the capacity of the local authorities and Port of Tyne alone.
“Historically, the bridge swung regularly to allow the passage of commercial vessels upriver, with a fee levied on marine traffic using the infrastructure to maintain the asset. Commercial vessels no longer pass beyond this point. The bridge remains unable to swing. The Port of Tyne continues to work collaboratively with the local authorities in Newcastle City Council and Gateshead Council, alongside the heritage bodies and the North East Combined Authority, to review all options for the swing bridge.
“The structure – including the public highway – remains the responsibility of Newcastle City Council and Gateshead Council. The Port of Tyne is responsible for the swinging mechanism only.”
The Swing Bridge was first used by road traffic on June 15, 1876 and opened for river traffic on July 17, 1876.