NewsBeat
How Darlington’s Skerne Bridge changed railways around the world
The bridge is widely recognised as the world’s oldest railway bridge still in continuous use, carrying trains over the River Skerne on the northern edge of Darlington town centre.
It was built for the pioneering Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR), the line which opened in 1825 and hailed the birthplace of the modern passenger railway.
The bridge famously carried George Stephenson’s Locomotion No.1 and a train of coal wagons and passengers on September 27, 1825, the opening day of the S&DR
That journey marked the first time the general public could travel by steam train, turning this modest stone arch into a symbol of a transport revolution that would spread around the world.
A closer look at the design
The bridge was designed in local stone by architect and engineer Ignatius Bonomi, who produced a single main arch over the river with two smaller arches at either side for footpaths.
Built by contractor Francis Peacock of Yarm, the structure was deliberately solid and unfussy.
Its location over the Skerne was one of the most challenging points on the original line, spanning what was then regarded as the biggest ravine on the S&DR.
When traffic grew more quickly than expected, the earth embankments leading to the bridge began to slump, forcing the company to return to the site within just a few years.
How the bridge was saved
By 1828, only three years after opening, the heavy coal traffic was already putting serious pressure on the new railway and the approaches to Skerne Bridge.
In 1829 the company brought in Heighington builder John Falcus Carter to carry out vital strengthening work.
Further alterations in the early 1830s allowed the main line to be doubled, creating the widened bridge that appears in later Victorian paintings and engravings.
(Image: ANDREW WHITE)
From £5 note to national “100 Places”
Although it sits just off Northgate and within walking distance of Darlington station, Skerne Bridge fell from view for much of the 20th century as vegetation and neighbouring development closed in around it.
Even so, its importance was recognised nationally when it appeared on the back of the British £5 note in the early 1990s, the only bridge ever to be given that honour.
Historic England has since named Skerne Bridge as one of its “100 Places” – a list of irreplaceable historic sites that have shaped England’s story.
The structure is protected as both a Grade I listed building and a scheduled monument.
Restoration and Hopetown Darlington
Ahead of the 195th anniversary of the Stockton and Darlington Railway in 2020, Network Rail carried out a programme of cleaning and maintenance on Skerne Bridge.
Stonework was carefully cleaned and vegetation stripped back to make the bridge visible again from nearby roads and paths.
At the same time, the wider Hopetown Darlington project has opened up new ways to reach the bridge on foot and by bike.
A well-lit walking and cycling route now links John Street and Albert Road with the riverside, giving people a safe route under and around the arches as part of a wider heritage trail.
(Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)
Trains still crossing today
Nearly two centuries after Locomotion No.1 first crossed the River Skerne, modern services still rumble over the same stonework.
Today the bridge carries local trains on the Bishop Auckland to Saltburn route, a short distance from the East Coast Main Line which links London, Yorkshire, Durham, Newcastle and Edinburgh.
For passengers, the crossing passes in a matter of seconds and often goes unnoticed behind the carriage windows.
But each train adds another chapter to a story of continuous use that no other railway bridge in the world can match.
How to see it for yourself
Skerne Bridge sits close to John Street, off Northgate, where a riverside path follows the Skerne and passes directly under the arches.
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