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When was Station Road bridge built

Posted by Brian on January 5, 2021, 8:39 am

I have always looked at it as a fixture of Hebburn but I have often wondered when the bridge was built, as I presume that originally there would have been a level crossing to connect the North and South of railway line. Also were the buildings on the station original or were they revamped and rebuilt at any time before its final demolition.

Re: When was Station Road bridge built

Posted by Norman Dunn on January 5, 2021, 9:57 am, in reply to "When was Station Road bridge built"

So far I've found the Station Hotel (Roys) was there in 1888 and Jarrow Station was there in the 1870s.Until Tennant's Chemical's came to Hebburn in the mid 1800s there was really no Newtown. All those Newtown streets were built post 1850s.

Re: When was Station Road bridge built

Posted by Brian on January 5, 2021, 11:40 am, in reply to "Re: When was Station Road bridge built"

I found something about a debate in parliament in 1924 where a railway bridge needing to be enlarged in Hebburn is mentioned although it doesn't say if it's over the railway or for the railway itself, it's what made me post this wondering if the Station bridge had been altered to its present form.

Re: When was Station Road bridge built

Posted by Geoff Plucknett on January 5, 2021, 12:28 pm, in reply to "Re: When was Station Road bridge built"

The original Hebburn station was apparently built in 1872 but maybe there was a track before that. All these snippets of info may help us home in on a date.

Re: When was Station Road bridge built

Posted by Brian on January 5, 2021, 1:03 pm, in reply to "Re: When was Station Road bridge built"

Geoff, I wondered if there was a level crossing before the bridge.

Re: When was Station Road bridge built

Posted by Mac Hardy on January 5, 2021, 2:18 pm, in reply to "Re: When was Station Road bridge built"

I can recall reading somewhere that it had to be strengthened to cope with increased vehicle use an weight.

Re: When was Station Road bridge built

Posted by Patrick on January 5, 2021, 4:50 pm, in reply to "Re: When was Station Road bridge built"

There was a bridge there as early as 1874 when a certain John McAllister was fined 5 shillings for being drunk and disorderly on Hebburn Railway Bridge. (He was one of many over the course of the years) In 1884 there was a severe storm in the area and the west parapet of the bridge was completely blown down.

Minutes of the Hebburn Local Board (later superseded by the District Council) regularly reported on the the unsatisfactory state of the bridge, being too narrow, and they were constantly pressing the North Eastern Railway to widen it and improve the footpaths. They were still complaining in 1896. I haven't yet found an article reporting on the work being completed, but clearly the existing bridge must be a new or extended construction.

Re: When was Station Road bridge built

Posted by Brian on January 5, 2021, 5:13 pm, in reply to "Re: When was Station Road bridge built"

It must have been the railway bridge discussed on parliament in 1924 as it was stated that the bridge needed widening in a debate.

Re: When was Station Road bridge built

Posted by Patrick’ on January 5, 2021, 5:19 pm, in reply to "Re: When was Station Road bridge built"

Was that not the bridge over Black Road?

Re: When was Station Road bridge built

Posted by Brian on January 5, 2021, 5:54 pm, in reply to "Re: When was Station Road bridge built"

it just says railway bridge in the discussion so its vague. It could be either but I know that the Railway company would have to pay for it so it probably is Black Road.

Re: When was Station Road bridge built

Posted by BJC on January 6, 2021, 10:07 am, in reply to "When was Station Road bridge built"

Hello Brian,

The fact that no date can be found for the building of the Station Bridge – yet there is proof that it existed in 1877 - leads me to believe that the solid, double-arched, stone-built bridge and the stone-built platforms, along with the brick-built ticket office, were all built simultaneously in readiness for the grand opening on the 1st March 1872.

The following images convince me that the large, solid stone bridge was built before the trains started running:

Hebburn-Station-1950-looking-towards-Jarrow

Hebburn-Station-1950-looking-towards-Pelaw

The following images from Britain From Above: https://britainfromabove.org.uk/ show that the bridge was widened and the arches squared off, on the west side, between 1927 and 1935:

EPW019891-ENGLAND-1927-The-Bauxite-Works-Hebburn-1927

EPW049192-ENGLAND-1935-The-Reyrolle-Electrical-Engineering-Works-Hebburn-1935

Hebburn Railway Station was closed, 1st June 1981, had all buildings demolished, and reopened as the newly-built Metro Station, 24th March 1984.

Cheers,
Barry.

Re: When was Station Road bridge built

Posted by Peter Bailey on January 6, 2021, 11:20 am, in reply to "Re: When was Station Road bridge built"

Only buildings left to demolish in 1981 were a small brick "bus shelter" on each platform. The original station buildings were demolished in early 1972. Tickets were bought on the train from the guard from 1969.

Re: When was Station Road bridge built

Posted by Billy D on January 6, 2021, 12:18 pm, in reply to "When was Station Road bridge built"

This is an early pic of the bridge that is the header on the FB Pictorial Hebburn page, you can see how narrow it was

insta ripper free

Re: When was Station Road bridge built

Posted by Brian on January 6, 2021, 1:00 pm, in reply to "Re: When was Station Road bridge built"

I will try and find that parliamentary debate and forward it onto you as it seemed to collate with the bridge widening. I wonder if there was a level crossing used before and whilst the bridge was widened as it would probably have been needed when the revamping of the bridge was going on.

Re: When was Station Road bridge built

Posted by BJC on January 6, 2021, 2:40 pm, in reply to "Re: When was Station Road bridge built"

Hello Brian,

The possibility of widening the Station Bridge, was still being debated, 13th November 1928.

Personally, I think the building of the Station Bridge was completed before the NER line at Hebburn opened, on the 1st March 1872. The line went from Pelaw to Tyne Dock via Hebburn and Jarrow. The Tyne Dock to South Shields route, via High Shields Station, opened in 1879.

The Hebburn Station Bridge was widened on the west side, between 1927 and 1935. The bridge was such an important route between the Quay and the Newtown, that I would think that during the widening, that one lane of the bridge – maybe two - would have been kept open to allow the free flow of traffic, and I agree that there could have been some kind of road traffic signals at either side of the bridge during the widening.

Cheers,
Barry.

Re: When was Station Road bridge built

Posted by N44 on January 6, 2021, 5:27 pm, in reply to "Re: When was Station Road bridge built"

Bearing in mind that there was very little traffic in those days.

Re: When was Station Road bridge built

Posted by alan la ruste on January 6, 2021, 7:36 pm, in reply to "Re: When was Station Road bridge built"

correct norman, not even model T fords.

Images of Station Bridge...

Posted by BJC on January 6, 2021, 7:14 pm, in reply to "When was Station Road bridge built"

JOURNAL AND NORTH STAR: 11TH September 1928:
The bridge at Hebburn which been referred to as a ‘death-trap’.
The Ministry of Health has refused to sanction the proposed expenditure to the widening of the bridge owing to the financial state of the town:

Above pic taken from Newtown side of bridge, looking towards Quay. Note the lack of footpaths on bridge.

I wonder if the following picture (copyright: May Forster – dated pre-1930s), was taken on the same day as the above:

Pic taken from Quay side of bridge, looking towards Newtown. Note the lack of footpaths on bridge.

Cheers,
Barry.

Re: When was Station Road bridge built

Posted by paul gilligan on January 6, 2021, 10:23 pm, in reply to "When was Station Road bridge built"

Re level crossing i recall gates adjacent to bridge on frazers steel stockyard side also pre metro south shields platform was opposite existing newcastle bound platform.

Re: When was Station Road bridge built

Posted by Billy D on January 9, 2021, 3:14 pm, in reply to "Re: When was Station Road bridge built"

there is a bit in the gazzette about the picture, they zoomed in on the posters for the Kino was Stolen Moments starring Marguerite Namara and Rudolph Valentino. it was released in 1920 and the Picture House, My Boy was showing. Released in 1921, so the pic was probebly from 1922

Re: When was Station Road bridge built

Posted by BJC on January 9, 2021, 4:34 pm, in reply to "Re: When was Station Road bridge built"

Hello Billy D,

Thank you for letting us know about the article in the Gazette - much appreciated.

Last year, when Norman (Dunn) posted the close-up pic of the posters (below), Don Scott said that they are posters for the three Jarrow cinemas, Empire, Kino (later renamed Regal) and the Picture House.

One thing that we mustn’t ignore, is the possibility that the films shown on the posters, which were released in 1920 and 1921, could have been repeats, shown at a much later date.

Cheers,
Barry.

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