Newhaven’s Old Swing Bridge

The current swing bridge at Newhaven opened on 7th November 1974 and is the third bridge to cross the river Ouse at Newhaven. The first, a draw bridge, built in the 1780s crossed the river at the bottom of the High Street to what is now Denton Island.

The river was straightened in the 1860s, by creating a new cut. This resulted in the creation of Denton Island and the requirement for a new bridge to link the east and west sides of the town.   A new approach road, Bridge Street, was also created to take traffic from the High Street to the new bridge. The ‘swing’ bridge opened on 22nd December 1866 and also carried a gas line and a tramway. It was opened manually and in this recording you will hear life-long Newhaven resident, Derek Payne, talk about how the old swing bridge was opened and closed. Something he would sometimes help with when he was a teenager.

The increase in heavy traffic meant that a new bridge had to be constructed, as the manually operated swing bridge was not suitable for lorries over 8 tons. Work began in 1972, which included the creation of a one-way system around the town. The old swing bridge closed the day the new one opened and was eventually demolished in 1976. The finials and capstan from the old swing bridge can be seen in Newhaven Museum.

Placement:

Newhaven Swing Bridge

Research:

Dr Jenny Flood and Derek Payne.

Acknowledgement:

Recorded by Dr Jenny Flood and produced by Mike Flood.

Code Ref: CCTHD