This was the first single span steel bridge across the River Wear Sunderland built in 1796 it survived until 1857. 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 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.
The first single span steel bridge across the River Wear built in 1796
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