Engineers from around the world have bestowed a prestigious honour on a historic bridge in Northumberland.
The world-famous Union Chain Bridge, which connects England and Scotland over the River Tweed near Berwick, has been celebrated as an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.
In doing so, the recently restored 202-year-old structure has joined the likes of the Brooklyn Bridge in New York, the Eiffel Tower and Sydney Harbour Bridge.
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A plaque was unveiled at the bridge on Thursday to mark the occasion, with a delegation of leading engineers from around the world travelling to the bridge to mark the occasion. It comes after the long restoration of the bridge was finally completed in April, after every single piece of the structure was removed, checked and then restored and replaced before being reassembled.
The bridge is well-known as the oldest vehicle suspension bridge in the world. The restoration spanned two countries as well as a global pandemic and battled extreme British weather. The massive undertaking was funded by Northumberland County Council, Scottish Borders Council, Museums Northumberland and the community group friends of the Union Chain Bridge.
Prior to the project, there had been serious concerns about the long-term future of the bridge.
Speaking at the event, Northumberland County Council leader Glen Sanderson said: “It is always a pleasure to return to the bridge and we’re delighted to have guests from around the world at the unveiling of this beautiful plaque, which quite rightly underlines its importance.”
Local county councillor Colin Hardy, who represents the Norham and Islandshires ward, said the bridge's restoration would be a huge boost to tourism in the area and its new status would only add to that.
Coun Hardy said: "It was an excellent event, it went really well. We have restored an iconic national monument.
"It is a gateway again between England and Scotland and between communities. It will be crucial to tourism, hopefully we can open up cycling and walking and get tourism along the Tweed channel.
"This is the most beautiful part of Northumberland - we've got everything from rivers to historic monuments and castles. The bridge is now listed as a top attraction in line with all those other great structures. It is a go-to attraction."
Coun Hardy also paid tribute to the engineering project that had been undertaken to restore the bridge.
He added: "It was a fascinating project to watch - I was down on a weekly basis to watch it being dismantled and reassembled. It was such an engineering feat - you could make a documentary out of it, it was that interesting."
