THE site of one of the earliest iron railway bridges at West Auckland has been given a spruce up in the build up to bicentenary celebrations in six years time.
The Gaunless Bridge was part of a district line on the Stockton and Darlington Railway, the world’s first railway.
The bridge was designed by George Stephenson and constructed in 1823.
It was one of the first iron railway bridges to be used, though was only designed to take the weight of horses pulling wagons, not steam engines.
By 1901 the bridge, overloaded by the increasing weight of coal wagons, was dismantled and removed.
For the past 44 years the bridge has been on display in the car park of the National Railway Museum in York.
However, the impressive stone abutments at West Auckland remain in place. In recent years these have been subject to vandalism and anti-social behaviour.
In response, the Friends of the Stockton and Darlington Railway and Stockton and Darlington Railway Heritage Action Zone, which aims to rejuvenate and restore the historic railway in the build up to its bicentenary in 2025, have been working with the local community to look at ways to improve the area.
And a team from Durham County Council’s civic pride and clean and green teams, with representatives from the Environment Agency, have been clearing up litter and cleaning graffiti near the site.
Cllr John Clare, who represents Durham County Council on the Stockton and Darlington Heritage Action Zone, said: “The Gaunless Bridge abutments are a part of the Stockton and Darlington Scheduled Monument so are of national significance.
“It is, therefore, incredibly important that we do all we can to preserve and protect them and the surrounding area.
“Our ambition is to make the site a place that the whole community can access and enjoy, including as a stop off on the Stockton and Darlington Railway walking and cycling route,” he added.
“This clean-up is a significant step towards developing the area for that purpose.”
Andrew Foster, specialist field operations team member for Durham and Tees at the Environment Agency, added: “The work delivered by the field operations team aims to reduce flood risk to residents, communities and properties, which perfectly fits in with the clean-up operation on the River Gaunless.
“We were able to implement our specialist skills to work with our partners to help rejuvenate and enhance these areas of historic significance.
“Another key element of the operation is environmental leave, as some of the people taking part in the project are volunteers, who are using their enthusiasm to do their bit for the environment and the local community.
“They are working alongside our Durham and Tees field operations team, who are specialised in tackling tricky locations like rivers and waterways, and were able to retrieve some bulky items like a storm tree and even a supermarket trolley.”
