Berwick’s Old Bridge re-opens to traffic following major restoration scheme
08 Aug 2025
Berwick’s Old Bridge has re-opened to traffic following the completion of a massive restoration scheme, initiated, managed and funded by Northumberland County Council, to protect the Grade 1 structure for generations to come.
The £3.54m scheme to restore the bridge, which has spanned the River Tweed for over 400 years, started back in 2020 just as the Covid pandemic hit.
Since then, teams of engineers have been working on the specialist restoration with activity organised into several separate phases of work spanning over 5 years to take account of the weather, environmental and regulatory constraints and pausing only for the bridge’s 400th anniversary celebrations in August 2024.
The iconic bridge was originally built between 1611 and 1634 by James Burrell out of red sandstone. It replaced an existing wooden bridge and was almost complete in 1621, but severe flooding caused damage which put back its completion by several years.
Glen Sanderson, Leader of Northumberland County Council said: “All those centuries ago, workers might still have been talking about the Spanish Armada just 20 years or so before, or the Mayflower with 102 Pilgrims that set sail for the New World, when the bridge was being built. They would not know that in less than 40 years England would become embroiled in the bloody Civil War.
“To the best of our knowledge this is the first refurbishment of the bridge since it was built 401 years ago and what has been really great is that many of the stone suppliers and skilled stone masons involved in its restoration are from the local area in Berwick and Tweedmouth.
“The Old Bridge is over 1,000 ft long, 17 ft wide and has 15 spans or arches so its restoration was never going to be a quick or easy process however, it is now in fantastic condition. I am delighted the council, our partners, local craftsmen and businesses and the patient people of Berwick have all played a part in ensuring it is preserved for the next 400 years.”
The renovation of the iconic crossing needed Scheduled Monument Consent from Historic England to allow the works to begin.
Work included the full reconstruction of the road, down to barrel arch depth and waterproofing the bridge deck. Work then progressed to the refurbishment of the whole bridge structure - including below the water level. New LED lighting was also installed and footways relayed.
The working method for the replacement of stone was as historically accurate as possible
and samples of replacement stone and examples of the mortar pointing were provided to Historic England for approval before work began.
Scaffolding was erected and stone masons undertook the mammoth task of raking out and removing weathered mortar from all the joints to allow new mortar to be stemmed into the joints before the joints were repointed. Replacement stone was put in where it was needed.
In more recent years, the importance of the bridge for traffic reduced with the opening of the Royal Tweed Bridge, a short distance upstream, in 1928 and today it is a one-way route from east to west.
Berwick East County Councillor Georgina Hill said: “It is brilliant that the maintenance and restoration of the Old Bridge is now complete, and full access has been restored.
“Residents have had to be patient during these works, and we are grateful to them. The project, of course, was absolutely necessary to secure the Old Bridge’s future.”
Local Ward Councillor Nicole Brooke added: “The Bridge has such a rich history spanning centuries. It was once a key part of the Great North Road connecting London and Edinburgh and more recently in 2018 it was featured in the Netflix Hollywood blockbuster The Outlaw King which portrayed the life of Robert the Bruce.
“Thank you to everyone who has worked so hard through all weathers to painstakingly preserve it.
“It’s a truly beautiful bridge and one of the special landmarks in our town which will now stand strong for generations to come.”