The River Esk has been crossed by bridges at this location for centuries. A grant made by King Edward III in 1351 allowed the collection of tolls for the maintenance of a bridge. By the mid 1550s the tolls averaged around £6 per annum (equivalent to £2,421 as of 2021).[3][4]
In 1629 an agreement was made by the justices in the North Riding to replace a wooden bridge with one which included moving parts. This was later replaced by a drawbridge, built in 1766 at a cost of £3,000 (equivalent to £444,000 in 2021), and later in 1835, the first swing bridge was opened designed by Francis Pickernell.[5][6]
Current bridge
Bridge during an opening
By the early 20th century the limited 45-foot (14 m) clearance of the 1835 bridge was restricting the size of vessels which could be built upstream of the bridge. A replacement swing bridge was commissioned by Whitby Urban District Council. It was designed by J. Mitchell Moncrieff,[2][7] later President of the Institution of Structural Engineers. As work progressed on the west side of the river bank to set a pivot for the bridge to swing, a seam of coal 10 inches (250 mm) thick was struck at 26 feet (7.9 m) below the water level. The foundations had to be sunk to a depth of 32 feet (9.8 m) below the low water mark for a secure foundation.[8]
It was opened in July 1909 by Mabel Theresa Duncombe, the daughter of the Viscount of Helmsley and the wife of local MP, Sir Gervase Beckett. The bridge consists of two leaves moved independently by electric motors.[9]
The bridge originally carried the A171 road. To avoid congestion in the town centre, the road was diverted to a high level bridge over the Esk Valley built in 1980.
The bridge is not wide enough for vehicles to pass, so vehicular access to the bridge is controlled by traffic lights. The bridge is opened to shipping either side of high tide, but is quickly closed again to allow for traffic movement.
In 2023 it was announced that the local council would be closing the bridge to traffic, with the exception of buses, during peak times in spring and summer. This was said to be to "address safety concerns around overcrowding".[10]
Next bridge upstream
Esk
Next bridge downstream
A171 road bridge
Whitby Swing Bridge
none
^History and topography of the city of York: and the North riding. T. Whellan and Co. 1859
^Weatherill, Richard (1908). The ancient port of Whitby and its shipping, with some subjects of interest connected therewith. Whitby: Horne. p. 14. OCLC6793956.
^Young, George (1840) [1824]. A picture of Whitby and its environs (2 ed.). Whitby: Horne & Richardson. p. 181. OCLC221940476.
