Union Chain Bridge linking England and Scotland over the River Tweed has been recognised for its historical engineering significance, months after Spencer Group finished its complete restoration.
Heritage bridge works specialist Spencer Group has refurbished and rebuilt the bridge, crossing the Tweed from Horncliffe in Northumberland to Fishwick in Berwickshire, has a single span of 449 feet, and was the longest wrought iron suspension bridge in the world when it opened in 1820.
It is both a Grade I listed building in England and a Grade A listed building in Scotland, and is credited with being a catalyst for bridge innovation. It influenced the design of many other famous structures and remains the world’s oldest suspension bridge still carrying traffic.
The bridge has now been named as an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. Engineers from across the world bestowed the honour on the bridge, which joins the likes of the Eiffel Tower, Sydney Harbour Bridge and Brooklyn Bridge.
A delegation of leading engineers visited the bridge to unveil a special plaque on the Scottish side of the structure. The sponsors of the prestigious accolade are the Institution of Civil Engineers (UK), the American Society of Civil Engineers and the Japanese Society of Civil Engineers, together with the Patron of the Friends of the Union Chain Bridge community group, Professor Dr Roland Paxton.
Joe DiMauro, Engineering Director for Spencer Bridge Engineering, said: “It has been an honour and a privilege to deliver the complete restoration of this historic bridge. Union Chain Bridge is an iconic, much-loved structure, further evidenced by this international recognition.”
