25/06/2026
On 28th September 1849, Queen Victoria officially opened the High Level Bridge between Newcastle and Gateshead.
Designed by Robert Stephenson, it was the first combined road and railway bridge in the whole world – carrying trains on the top deck and carriages, horses and carts below.
It reshaped travel across the Tyne and remains a striking piece of Victorian engineering that still carries rail traffic today.
A revolutionary design at the time and a true Geordie engineering achievement.
Over 175 years later, it’s still standing proud across the Tyne.
