These two photographs are of the former railway bridge at Hartburn now long gone.
Photographs and details courtesy of Gordon Armes.
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
These two photographs are of the former railway bridge at Hartburn now long gone.
Photographs and details courtesy of Gordon Armes.
Hi. I would love to know what the bridge was called- I am building a house right next to where the bridge stood and we are seeking to name the house with something fitting. Many thanks Henry.
Sorry to disappoint you Henry, but it was just Hartburn Bridge, and the locals did not even give it a nickname. The bridge carried the Castle Eden Branch Line, which did have a local nickname – the Cuckoo Line. Hope that provides you with food for thought!
I agree the bridge should have been left, I remember it well and when it was demolished….I believe it was one of the old S&D railway bridges…
I crashed my motorbike here in 1972 going to work from Newtown to Eaglescliffe. It was a pretty sharp blind bend, and in those days raced everywhere. I hit some oil or diesel on the road and skid off. I ended up on the wrong side of the road, bike a bit bent, but luckily nothing coming the other way.
This bridge being before my time, it’s slightly weird seeing something so unfamiliar in a place which is otherwise so familiar to you (I’ve walked past where the bridge was many a time- even went with my mother up the path where the old railway line was when I was a kid to get to my aunts). I suppose not too hard to visualise now it’s gone.
As a young man, my Dad, Joseph Orton James carved his initials on the top right part of the bridge.
This bridge is no ordinary bridge and should have been a protected building. As you can see from the photo it is built at an angle. Normally with a bridge they would use the same template all the way through the build but with it being at an angle different templates would be used all the time. I don’t think you will see a bridge like this one any where else. Also in about 1958 there was a road accident here where a pillion passenger was killed. He was from Edward Street and his surname was Henderson. He was on home leave from the RAF and was going on a days fishing. I think it was said that his rod caught in the back wheel of the motor cycle.