A HISTORIC bridge that is almost 200 years old is to be taken apart, restored and reassembled piece by piece following safety concerns.
Whorlton Bridge in County Durham will be dismantled so that its components can be inspected and tested before being put back together again, the county’s council said.
The 193-year-old bridge near Barnard Castle has been closed to cars since 2019, and all traffic since 2020, following safety concerns.
But now work has begun to restore the Grade II* listed structure, which is also classed as a scheduled ancient monument by Historic England, to its former glory.
Councillor John Shuttleworth said it was “only right we treat the bridge with the respect it deserves”.
He added: “We are delighted to be in a position to begin the complex process of removing the 1,800 components on the bridge and ensuring as much of the structure as is physically possible can be retained and given a new lease of life.”
Each component will be recorded by workers before being inspected, according to Durham County Council.
The parts will then be shotblasted – a process of cleaning or stripping – before being tested and repainted.
The council said the parts will be returned to their original position on the bridge and will ensure that original materials are reused wherever possible.
Samples of the original paintwork are also being used to make sure it retains its existing colour.
The bridge will remain closed to all traffic while the work is carried out, and diversions for cars and pedestrians are in place.
It is expected to reopen to the public next year.
The work is being carried out following the council’s successful bid to the government’s Levelling Up Fund.
Preparatory works ahead of its restoration have been completed and the council are now ready to begin the process of dismantling the bridge.
Cllr John Shuttleworth, Durham County Council’s Cabinet member for highways, said: “Whorlton Bridge is almost two hundred years old, a Scheduled Ancient Monument and therefore a very important part of our history and heritage.
“It is only right that we treat the bridge with the respect it deserves and therefore a lot of work has gone into preparations to ensure that the restoration project returns the bridge to its former glory.”
The councillor added: “We would like to thank local residents and the travelling public for their patience and understanding whilst the works continue.”
An 1829 act of parliament granted permission for the building of Whorlton Bridge as part of the Staindrop to Greta Bridge turnpike.
Unfortunately, the initial structure was washed away in flooding, so construction started again in 1830 of the single span chain bridge suspension bridge.
The bridge was formally opened 7 July 1831 and was originally designed to carry horse and carts with coal from the Durham coal fields to the south.
In 1914 the structure was assessed and it was recommended that a 3 ton weight limit be imposed on the bridge which has remained in place to date.
In December 1942, prime minister Winston Churchill stood on Whorlton Bridge to watch soldiers train in the meadows on the south bank, wade through the river Tees and then tackle the steep Durham cliffs.
In 2019, due to a report of damage to the bridge, an inspection forced the council to close it to all vehicles as it carried out a further investigation into the cause.
After closing the bridge, a diversion was been in place and the council employed specialist independent engineers to carry out a detailed inspection to find out the condition of the bridge.
After these assessments, the bridge was closed from December 2020 to all users due to public safety.
It is a Grade II* listed structure and a scheduled monument.
It is one of the UK’s oldest road suspension bridges with the deck totally supported by its original iron chains.
It is also one of the UK’s earliest surviving examples of an iron chained suspension bridge with twin battered masonry pylons at each end, according to Durham County Council.
