Above and above right - The Swing Bridge and the High level Bridge. The Swing Bridge (foreground/left) is the latest in a series of bridges to span the river at that point that stretches back at least to Roman times. The Swing bridge is itself over 130 years old. It opens for shipping on a central pivot and at the height of the Tyne Shipbuilding industry, some of the Royal Navy's biggest battleships were squeezed past the bridge from the Armstrong Shipyard at Scotswood with only inches to spare

The High Level bridge (background/right) is the oldest bridge currently spanning the river and was opened in 1849 by Queen Victoria. History tells us that she opened the bridge while travelling to her summer home at Balmoral in Scotland without ever leaving the the Royal Train. The high level bridge was the first double-decker bridge in the world, carrying trains on the upper deck and vehicles on the lower deck. It remains in use to this day.