'Newcastle from the South-west', 1849

Engraving by T A Prior after a drawing by W Harvey, showing the High Level Bridge built to carry the York, Newcastle and Berwick Railway over the River Tyne, with the city of Newcastle beyond. The bridge, which was officially opened on 28th September 1849, was designed by Robert Stephenson (1803-1859). It consists of six spans of cast iron bowstring arches, supported on stone piers, which carry the railway 120 feet above the Tyne. The bridge has two levels, with the railway on the upper deck and a roadway on the lower.