We were commissioned by the main contractor to produce genuine wrought iron components as part of the refurbishment of the Grade 1/A listed union chain bridge

Originally con-structed in 1820, the suspension bridge comprises of wrought iron chains be-tween masonry towers, supporting a timber deck, anchored to both the English and Scottish ends of the structure.

Brief history: The Union Chain Bridge is the world’s oldest vehicular suspension bridge, spanning the River Tweed between Northumberland, England, and Berwickshire, Scotland. The bridge connects Horncliffe in Northumberland, England, with Fishwick in Berwickshire, Scotland, crossing the River Tweed about four miles upstream from Berwick-upon-Tweed. Opened on 26 July 1820, it was the longest wrought iron suspension bridge in the world at the time, with a single span of 449 feet (137 meters), and the first vehicular bridge of its type in the United Kingdom. It remains the oldest suspension bridge still carrying road traffic and is a Grade I listed building in England and a Category A listed building in Scotland.

Where it wasn’t possible to restore the original ironwork, we made replacement components using genuine wrought iron. Having our own in house rolling mill allowed us to hot roll wrought iron salvaged from the bridge into the section sizes needed for new components. Our blacksmiths firewelded the components together to get the exact lengths to match the originals. firewelding is traditionally done using a coke fuelled hearth but we are increasingly using our electric induction heater for this process.