Gateshead Millennium Bridge Newcastle

Gateshead Millennium Bridge, Connecting Gateshead and Newcastle

Gateshead Millennium Bridge over the River Tyne connecting Gateshead and Newcastle. — Gateshead Millennium Bridge

The Gateshead Millennium Bridge is a pedestrian and cyclist bridge over the River Tyne connecting Gateshead on the south bank and Newcastle on the north bank.

It is part of the Gateshead Quays development along with Sage Gateshead (known since 2023 as The Glasshouse International Centre for Music) and the BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art.

The bridge has won several awards for architecture and has appeared on the one pound coin. It was the world's first tilting bridge.

The Sage Gateshead, England, UK. — Gateshead Millennium Bridge and The Sage (The Glasshouse International Centre for Music)

Gateshead Millennium Bridge with the BALTIC and Sage, The River Tyne, Newcastle. — Gateshead Millennium Bridge with the BALTIC and Sage, The River Tyne, connecting Gateshead and Newcastle

History

The bridge opened to the public in 2001 and is a tilt bridge. It can be tilted to allow boats to pass and for events such as the Boat Race of the North and The Cutty Sark Tall Ships' Races. The bridge also opens to allow the Royal Navy patrol boat HMS Example to access the training base at HMS Calliope.

The bridge cost £22 million and was completed two months behind schedule. It opened on 10 June 2000. However, just two days later the bridge was forced to close due to lateral vibration caused by people walking across the bridge.

Gateshead Millennium Bridge, Newcastle, UK. — The BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art on the left along with Sage and the Tyne Bridge in the background

London-based architectural firm WilkinsonEyre won several awards for their design. The company also designed the Peace Bridge in Northern Ireland and Twin Sails Bridge in Poole, Dorset.

The partnership is also responsible for such buildings as the Wellcome Collection in London, Weston Library in Oxford and the Mary Rose Museum in Portsmouth.

Nearby

BALTIC is a major international centre for contemporary art to rival London's Tate Modern. Unlike the Tate, there are no permanent exhibitions, but the constantly rotating shows feature the work and installations of some of contemporary art's biggest names. BALTIC is housed in a former flour mill from where it gets its name.

Sage Gateshead (The Glasshouse International Centre for Music), by Norman Foster, is a concert venue and also a centre for musical culture and education. It opened in 2004 and is home to the Royal Northern Sinfonia, the UK's sole full-time chamber orchestra and Folkworks which promotes the folk music of the North East.

Gateshead Millennium Bridge stands close to Tyne Bridge. Both bridges are illuminated at night.

Hotels

If you wish to stay in and around this increasingly trendy area of Newcastle and Gateshead there are several recommended options. These include the four star Hilton Newcastle Gateshead, the three star Ramada Encore by Wyndham Newcastle-Gateshead and Jurys Inn Newcastle Quayside.