The Union Chain Bridge spans the River Tweed between the parishes of Hornclifffe in Northumberland and Hutton in Berwickshire, five miles upstream from Berwick on Tweed. It was built in 1820 by an engineer who lived in Eyemouth, named Captain Samuel Brown. Designed using innovative engineering techniques for the time, the Bridge is locally loved and internationally celebrated.
The Bridge is the oldest suspension bridge open to traffic in the world. Because of this, it is in the Guinness Book of World Records. The stone pylon on the Scottish side is the oldest standing road suspension bridge masonry tower in the world. Its engineer, Sam Brown, invented a unique way to link the iron chains together on the bridge. His design was groundbreaking at the time and very influential in subsequent bridge designs.
Union Chain Bridge is jointly owned by Northumberland County Council and Scottish Borders Council, who led a major restoration project for the Bridge in 2020, its 200th Anniversary. The ‘Crossing Borders Inspiring Communities’ project ran alongside the restoration work, with activities celebrating the Bridge’s history and heritage, strengthening links between the border communities and inspiring a new generation of engineers.
Check out the project’s activity booklet, inspired by the building of the Bridge in 1820 and its restoration in 2020-2023. Find out much more about the Bridge and restoration from The Friends of the Union Chain Bridge, who were part of the restoration team with the two councils, Museums Northumberland and the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
