Today a group of us visited Newcastle's Swing Bridge, built in the 1870s by Sir W G Armstrong & Co. The gleaming machinery should give you an idea of what a lovely piece of working heritage it is.
With the help of some very big hydraulics, the bridge can rotate (swing) to enable ships to pass. As I suppose you might expect from engineering that originated from an arms manufacturer, the wheeled mechanism on which it rotates is basically built on the same principle as a giant gun turret.
All the children were given the chance to press the button that works a (really loud!) hooter that alerts people on either side of the Tyne that the bridge will be turning. We were really lucky because our visit was on a day when a swing was planned. So we climbed to the viewing tower (scarily steep steps!) and watched as engineer, George, put the engines into action.
It was amazing to see the gap open up between the shore and the edge of the bridge:
And it was stunning to see these old engines in action and to marvel at how quietly they run. A real Victorian masterpiece among all the iconic bridges over the Tyne.
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