The first Wearmouth Bridge was the longest single span cast iron bridge in the world and was one of the wonders of the industrial age. The bridge was to have a nominal span of 240 feet. To build an iron bridge of this size required a great deal of faith from it's sponsor, Roland Burdon M.P. To help, Mr Burdon engaged a local schoolmaster turned engineer, Thomas Wilson. Work was started on the foundations of the bridge and in September 1793 the foundation stone ceremony was held. The bridge took almost three years to build, and the structure cost a total of about £28,000. The bridge was completed and opened to traffic on 9th August 1796, presided over by Prince William of Gloucester and attended by 80,000 people.
Wearmouth Bridge Completed In 1796.The bridge was a toll bridge for traffic and pedestrians, tolls for pedestrians were abolished in 1846. The new bridge gave direct access between Monkwearmouth and Bishopwearmouth, previous access had only been by ferry. The shape and trade of Sunderland would be changed forever.
The 1st Wear Bridge survived until 1857, when consultant engineer Robert Stephenson did a major reconstruction. The bridge was reopened in March 1859. The inconvenient hump in the middle of the bridge which had been such a feature of it, had been almost leveled in the reconstruction. In 1885 the toll on the bridge was totally abolished.
The 2nd Wear Bridge survived until 1927, when the present one was built around the old one and reopened in 1929.
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