Union Chain Bridge linking Scotland and England reopens

A historic bridge linking Scotland and England over the River Tweed has reopened after a £10.5m overhaul.

The complex project saw most of the 200-year-old Union Chain Bridge removed and restored, then put back in place.

The work fell behind schedule due to a "range of challenges" but has now been completed.

The bridge - which first opened in 1820 - crosses the river from Fishwick in the Scottish Borders to Horncliffe in Northumberland.

The reopening completes a long journey for the historic structure and brings to an end a 10-mile detour for local traffic.

A piper led the first crossing of the newly reopened bridge

A campaign was launched in 2012 to restore the bridge due to concerns over its condition.

It had been shut for almost a year in 2007 due to structural problems.

By 2017, it was hoped that it would cost £5.6m to upgrade the bridge in time to reopen in 2020.

However, the price steadily increased to more than £10m and it slipped behind the original timetable.

Martha Andrews said the bridge brought communities on both sides of the border together

Martha Andrews, a trustee of the Friends of the Union Chain Bridge, was among those delighted be able to cross the bridge once more.

"It is absolutely amazing to see the bridge open today, we have waited so long for this, we have campaigned so hard," she said.

"You don't realise how much you use it until it's not there so for the past two years we have being going round by Norham or round by Berwick instead of straight across the border, straight across the Tweed.

"It really brings the two communities together.

"We're going to be using it again and we are going to be using it every day and you'd be surprised if you stood here just how many cars go across it."

The bridge's story

The bridge was the longest iron suspension bridge in the world when first opened

The Union Chain Bridge was built by retired naval captain Samuel Brown and completed in 1820.

It cost about £7,700 to construct and replaced a "perilous ford" slightly downstream.

Although work on Thomas Telford's Menai Bridge had started earlier, the Union Bridge was completed first - making it the longest iron suspension bridge in the world when it opened.

• In pictures: The restoration of the Union Chain Bridge

Hundreds of spectators, including civil engineers Robert Stevenson and John Rennie, turned out to see it open on 26 July.

Until the 1970s it existed with little maintenance, but the entire deck was replaced in 1974.

The bridge did not receive any major attention until structural issues started to emerge in recent years, leading to the £10.5m overhaul.

The overhaul has taken two-and-a-half years to complete

The restoration work began once a full funding package was in place in October 2020 in the hope that it would take about 15 months to complete.

Covid and the complexity of the project meant that it has taken about a year longer than was first intended.

Its completion means that pedestrians, cyclists and cars can once again cross from one country into another.

As well as securing the long-term future of the bridge, it is hoped that the structure can become an important visitor attraction.

Councils on both sides of the border and the National Lottery Heritage Fund helped fund the restoration.

Joe DiMauro of the Spencer Group said it had been a special project to work on

Joe DiMauro - engineering director of the Spencer Group, which worked on the scheme - said it had been a special project.

"It is a real honour to have been able to work on a 200-year-old suspension bridge like this," he said.

"It is not every day you get the chance to use your engineering judgement to come up with methodologies and sequences to be able to take down, refurbish and rebuild something like this.

"There are not many of these structures around in the world so having the opportunity to work on this is a privilege."

Northumberland County Council leader Glen Sanderson described it as a "fabulous moment" for everyone involved in a "hugely technical project".

"This bridge stands as a testament to partnership working and shows what can be achieved when everyone is pulling in the same direction," he said.

"It's a glorious structure and I'm sure will be a huge draw to tourists as well as providing a much-needed day-to-day connection for local communities on both sides of the border."

John Greenwell, of Scottish Borders Council, said "years of hard work" had gone into making the restoration possible.

"It's a symbolic link between England and Scotland which has now been protected for many generations to come and I am sure all those involved will feel an incredible sense of pride that this day has come," he added.