Bill's Walks

A Book Review: “Bridges of the River Wear” by Keith Cockerill

This excellent book ‘does what it says on the tin’ and gives a very full account of all the bridges on the River Wear. The writer comes from a long background of shipping on the Wear and gives a full account of his family history in the foreword, telling how and why he became interested in the river. One of his decisions was to photograph every bridge on the Wear which he subsequently completed and in August 2004 he stood at the Win Pool at Wearhead to witness the rise of the River Wear. Here he contemplated the second phase of his project which was to research the history of each bridge that he had photographed. The book is the outcome of both ventures and what a fine job he has done. Obviously he would have needed some assistance with the history of the bridges and it good to see our own Bryan Chambers (a Friend of Killhope), amongst the acknowledgements.

The book opens with a short chapter on the Bridges of the Wear, going back to Roman times, and putting forward Raymond Selkirk’s theories on how the Romans modified the river to make it navigable, possibly to Binchester and the location of probable Roman bridges. He then develops the theme of how the bridge and construction techniques changed up to the present day. Did you know that when the great cast iron bridge over the Wear gorge was opened in 1796, it was the largest cast iron span in the world? In its day it was as significant as the now famous Millau bridge in France which has very recently been overtaken for size in Mexico.

The book then works its way downriver from Wearhead to the mouth. The historical data of each bridge is succinct, giving the right amount of detail and there are photographs and information on bridges which have been replaced, such as the one at Page Bank. Those of you who know me know that I am a pack horse bridge enthusiast, partly because of the locations of many of them and their use and benefit in a bygone age. I feel however that bridges in general are taken very much for granted by many who use them who have little appreciation of the skills that went into their construction.

Everyone who loves exploring the banks of the River Wear and Weardale should own this book and I can guarantee that it will make their days out more enjoyable as well as giving them more detail of the local history of the area and its industries. I very much believe that Weardale is a much neglected and underrated dale of Northern England and should be better known. It is a joy to walk alongside with abundant wildlife and superb scenery from source to mouth. There is a pleasant route from Weardale, or even better, from Killhope Wheel to the mouth at Roker and neither the Tyne nor the Tees, which are both equally superb for most of their course, cannot equal the Wear in the last section following the development of the riverside at Sunderland. A new or updated edition of the Weardale Way would be much appreciated.

The book is produced by The Peoples History Limited, ISBN 1 902527 34 8 and at £12.99 is well worth the expenditure!

Postscript: I recently received a message from Keith and he believes the publisher may no longer be operating. The book may still be available in local bookshops or you may also be able to purchase it on Amazon if any copies are currently available. Alternatively, you can buy it directly from Keith Cockerill for £10.00 including post & packing – for further information please send him an email to keith.cockerill@btinternet.com