Union Chain Bridge, Hutton, Berwickshire, Scottish Borders

Date November 2020

Event ID 1109247

Category Building History

Type Conservation

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1109247

Report on progress of the restoration of Union Chain Bridge, Berwick-upon-Tweed by Roland Paxton, Hon Professor, Institute for Infrastructure and Environment, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, 26 November 2020

For several decades the ICE via PHEW, Heriot-Watt University, and since its formation in 2014, The Friends of Union Chain Bridge [now numbering 690] have strongly supported the preservation of Union Bridge for posterity as a world-class landmark in long span suspension bridge development. For many years now deterioration of the bridge has increasingly caused concern, to remedy which £10.5m of hard-won funding has been raised for its restoration.

On 1 July 2020 a £7.1m contract for the bridge’s restoration was entered into by the bridge owners with The Spencer Group of Hull and work on site commenced on 1st October. Completion is programmed for November 2021. Spencer’s have had experience of this kind of project as exemplified in their restoration of Sir John Rennie’s 1835 Horkstow suspension bridge, which in 1999 attracted a ‘commendation’ from the national Historic Bridge and Infrastructure Awards Panel (for which I was an adjudicator).

Because of the Covid-19 pandemic the bridge’s bicentenary on 26 July 2020 turned out to be a low key, very local, celebration which included a preview of the International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark Plaque shown below that I promised to put in train at The Friends inaugural meeting in 2014. Hopefully it will be formally dedicated in due course. Sadly, all the officially planned bicentenary engagements, including the Plaque Unveiling and Symposium, had had to be cancelled. Fortunately, the substance of the planned Symposium has survived in Spanning the Centuries published in July 2020.

The bridge’s International recognition was enhanced on this occasion by having the Japan Society of Civil Engineers as a co-sponsor of the plaque, its first association with an IHCEL Plaque.

The restoration contract is understood to be going well despite the contractor’s team having to cope with Covid-dictated restrictions. Work is now progressing on Stage 6 - the construction of towers to support winches for the removal and re-erection of the historic chains. The present state of work is indicated in the following photographs, courtesy of The Friends. It can be seen from comparing these images with Northumberland County Council’s proposed modus operandi above [Spanning the Centuries p.39], that amendments in detail have been made.

Information from: Roland Paxton, Hon Professor, Institute for Infrastructure and Environment, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, 26 November 2020.