Barnard Castle suspension bridge to be dismantled before restoration

The bridge over the River Tees, which opened in July 1831, was designed for horse and carts

Restoration of a bridge over the River Tees will see it gradually taken apart.

Whorlton Bridge in Barnard Castle, which is said to be one of the oldest of its kind in the UK, has been closed because of fears it could collapse.

Originally designed to carry horse and carts with coal from the Durham coal fields, it was closed to motorists in August 2019 and then to cyclists and walkers the following year.

It will see it fully dismantled before being restored to its "former glory".

Many sections of the bridge have been tested to establish what work is needed

Historic England and the Environment Agency are working with the local authority on the grade II* listed structure, which is the UK's oldest road suspension bridge, with its deck supported by its original iron chains.

Since 1985, a restriction had permitted only one vehicle to cross at a time.

It was completely closed almost three years ago when a routine assessment identified that it was no longer able to support the weight of vehicles or pedestrians.

There were fears it could fail "catastrophically, without warning".

Durham County Council's cabinet member for rural communities and highways, John Shuttleworth, said: "We are delighted that we are one step closer to restoring the historic bridge to its former glory and would like to thank members of the public for their patience whilst the programme of repairs has been developed."

Whorlton Bridge spans the Tees on the Teesdale Way between Greta Bridge and Barnard Castle

As it is a Scheduled Monument, investigations have taken place leading to a detailed design for the repairs required.

Work has involved excavating boreholes and CCTV surveys to understand how the bridge chains are connected to determine what work is needed below ground.

Durham County Council said a compound would soon be constructed on site, followed by the installation of a cable crane which will dismantle the bridge piece by piece, before it is restored and rebuilt.

The campaign to repair and reopen the bridge benefited from a share of £20m investment from the government as part of its Levelling Up Fund in 2021.

Once reopened, it will link nearby villages to the A66 and A67. 

The authority has appointed VolkerLaser as the main contractor to carry out the repairs.