Portrack

A Teesside First – Billingham Branch Bridge

Much is made, and quite rightly so, of the bridges of the Tees, however we have another historic bridge on Teesside that is often overlooked. The Billingham Branch Bridge was built in 1934 by Dorman Long to carry the northern approach road to the Newport Bridge over the now-disused Billingham Branch railway. The Grade II listed bridge is reputed to be the first welded steel bridge in Britain.

Historic Britain Listing

Image

The Old River – Portrack

The Old River - Portrack

The first major undertaking of the Tees Navigation Company was inaugurated on 18th September 1810 with the opening of the Mandale Cut, near Stockton. This 200 yard canal, which by-passed a meander loop in the channel of the river and reduced the distance to Stockton from the estuary by over 2 miles. At a celebratory dinner after the ceremony, the first public reference was made to the idea of constructing a railway or canal for the conveyance of coal from the pits in County Durham to centres in the south of the county. Eventually, this led to the establishing of the Stockton & Darlington Railway.