| Union Bridge (tweed) |
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The Union Bridge, also called the '''Chain Bridge''' spans the River Tweed at , between Horncliffe , Northumberland , England and Fishwick , Borders , Scotland . Before it opened, crossing the River at this point involved an eleven-mile Round Trip via Berwick-upon-Tweed Downstream or a twenty mile trip via Coldstream Upstream . ( Ladykirk And Norham Bridge did not open until 1888 .) When it opened in 1820 it was the longest Iron Suspension Bridge in the world with a span of 137 metres (449 ft). Today it is the oldest suspension bridge still carrying road traffic. The bridge's longevity may owe something to the fact that it was designed by a Royal Navy officer, Captain Samuel Brown. He would have been familiar with the fact that a Wood en sailing Ship is not totally rigid and designed the bridge on the same basis. Originally the deck was supported by three chains of iron bar links on each side. In 1902 a pair of wire rope cables was added. The decking is of timber and the whole structure is designed to flex slightly under load. Standing on it when a vehicle crosses is reminiscent of being on a ship. For this reason, traffic is now limited to one vehicle on the bridge at any one time. The bridge is maintained by an international body, the Tweed Bridges Trust . It is a Grade I Listed Building and Scheduled Ancient Monument . Miscellany
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