From the archives - a Tees RC crew going downstream under Newport Bridge on it's way to the "Tranny". The Middlesbrough ABC Boathouse stood where the bridge piers now are.
Whilst the bridges over the Tees may not have the same emotive hold on the local population as the cluster of crossings of the Tyne between Newcastle and Gateshead nor have the awesome backdrop of those over the Wear at Durham they do nevertheless display an infinite, some would say eccentric, variety which can not be ignored.
Members of Tees Rowing Club are probably more familiar with these bridges than many Teessiders having passed beneath as well as over most of them. I say most of them as one of the effects of the creation of the Tees Barrage has been to deny our more recent recruits the experience of rowing under three of them. The sweeping arches of the Tees Viaduct (A19), the now impotent lift platform of Newport Bridge (for which the site of Middlesbrough ABC was appropriated) and the Meccano like latticework of the Transporter Bridge are now but training and racing landmarks in the memories of a minority.
But this loss has been made good a million times over by the improved recreational and environmental conditions that the Barrage and associated improvements have brought to the Tees.
The river is clean safe and ideal for water sports - in particular rowing. Compared to the Tyne (big open spaces but tidal and at times very rough) and the Wear at Durham (beautiful but short and crowded) we have the best of all worlds - between the Barrage and Yarm we have some 14 kilometres (just under 9 miles) of non tidal river. It passes through the modern riverside developments of Stockton and Thornaby soon reaching open countryside where may be seen features such as wildlife sanctuaries, Preston Park Museum, Eaglescliffe Golf Course and bronze age earthworks before reaching the pleasant small town of Yarm - the original main port of the Tees.
The text is drawn from my local knowledge greatly assisted by the following publications: A Journey Through the History of Middlesbrough by Norman Moorsom,(local historian and a Whinney Banks School mate of mine some 50 years ago), Memories of Stockton, Memories of Middlesbrough (main sponsors K W Devereux and Henry Newbould Ltd respectively - both old established local firms) Images of Teesside (Evening Gazette), The River Tees-two centuries of change (Cleveland and Teesside Local History Society), The History of Middlesbrough (William Lillie), A History of the Town and Borough of Stockton-on-Tees (Tom Sowler) and Ancient Cleveland for the Air (Richard Crosthwaite)
Chris Kenyon - 02/01
Photo with acknowledgment to FreeFoto.com
In tidal days one of the general endurance training trips in the Eight was from the Boathouse at Stockton to the "Tranny" and back - a total of just over 16 K (10 miles). Ideally we set out on a rising tide so the return journey was with the stream.
Opened in 1911 to replace ferry services between Middlesbrough and Port Clarence the bridge is built on the cantilever principle with a span between the towers of 175 metres (570 feet) and a height above high water mark of 49 metres (160 feet). From the main span is suspended a travelling car (or gondola) the floor of which is level with the road way on either side of the river. The crossing takes two minutes and the car can carry a maximum of 12 vehicles or 600 passengers. You used also to be able to walk over the bridge via steps on each tower and a catwalk across the top - I recall that it was quite scary as the bridge swayed in the wind and the catwalk rattled and jumped when the trolley, from which the gondola was hung, passed beneath. Truly a rite of passageÉ
Recently "The Tranny" was featured in the film Billy Elliot and was the central feature of one of television's "Auf Wiedersen Pet" series. The electronic erasure of the bridge from the skyline caused concern among some ex pats who feared that Oz and the boys really had demolished it...
My research indicates that worldwide there have been 18 other similar bridges. Those at Newport in Wales and Bilbao in Spain together with our "Tranny" appear to be the only ones still in daily use. The old lady is getting a bit tired and needs ever more regular maintenance but any suggestion that this Teesside treasure be done away with is, quite rightly, greeted with howls of protest.
The transporter bridges at Osten (Germany), Warrington (England) and Rochefort - Martou (France)although no longer in service have been refurbished and preserved as technical monuments. All the others have, as far as I can ascertain, been demolished.
Another impressive piece of engineering spanning the river is the Tees (Newport) Bridge to give it it's correct name. Built by Dorman Long of Middlesbrough (who also constructed the Sydney Harbour and Tyne bridges) and opened in 1934 it was the first vertical lift bridge in the British Isles and the largest of it's type in the world. The lifting span is 81 metres long (265 feet) and the actual vertical lift 30 metres (90 feet) giving a clearance of 36 metres (120 feet) at high water. There was a social cost to be paid for the building of this bridge - 70 families needed to be rehoused when their homes on the Whinney Banks Estate were demolished and Middlesbrough Amateur Boating Club saw their boathouse disappear to become part of the site. The club never found alternative premises and amalgamated with Tees ABC in the late 1940s. In it's heyday in the early 1940s the bridge was lifted on average 300 times a year. The operating team who worked on a shift basis comprised 7 drivers and 12 gatemen under the supervision of a Bridgemaster When port activities ceased at Stockton the lift element of this bridge was rendered redundant. The last vessel to cause the bridge to be lifted was the John Amos, an historic tug which had been moored for some time at Stockton and on 4th March 1976 was towed under Newport on it's way to a maritime museum in Kent. To reduce the cost of maintenance it was decided that the lifting span should be fixed down permanently. A special ceremony, attended by thousands, was held on 18th November 1990 when the bridge was raised and lowered for the last time. (The approach road bridge on the Stockton side passes over the Billingham Branch Railway. This bridge was the first all welded portal frame bridge in the country and as such requires little maintenance).
The end of an era - the 18th November 1990.
Opened to traffic in 1975 the A19 Tees Viaduct was built as part of a comprehensive scheme to improve the A19 between Sunderland and Thirsk. The scheme also included the construction of 10 miles of completly new road between Haverton Hill Road and Crathorne.
At that time the nearest river crossing - Newport Bridge - being only single carriageway could hardly cope with local traffic so a new road bridge was needed. Although the upstream town of Stockton was no longer regarded as a port the new bridge was nevertheless built with sufficient clearance for ships to pass beneath. It was also built with two lane dual carriageways (as were the approach roads) even though local experts pointed out to the Ministry that at least three lanes per carriageway would be needed. (A prediction which was soon bourne out at peak times). Recently extra lanes were added to the approach roads but not to the bridge itself. Consideration was given to demolishing the bridge and building a low level replacement with more lanes but this was deemed economically non viable.
The length between the main abutments is 1.95km (1.21 miles), there are 68 spans on the main carriageway of which the longest is 117metres (384 feet).
The River Tees is no stranger to major engineering projects. In 1810 and 1830 The Tees Navigation Company improved access to Stockton by means of the Mandale and Portrack Cuts respectively. The river had two huge horseshoe bends at these points - by cutting channels between "the ends of the horseshoes" the distance between Newport and Stockton was greatly reduced. (The narrow rivers you may have seen behind Teesside Retail Park and the former Dickens at Portrack are part of the former course of the river Tees).
In 1992 the biggest change to the river was started - the construction of the Tees Barrage. This is located to the west of Blue House Point just upstream of where the course of the old river comes in from Mandale. (If the barrage had been built further downstream the natural draining effect of the old river would have been lost and areas such as the nearby retail park and golf course would flood).
The Barrage was commissioned by the Teesside Development Corporation and the contractors were Tarmac Construction. In terms of cost (£50 million) and size it was Britain's largest single engineering project. The premise was that that inward investment would be more likely to be attracted to a pleasant non tidal riverside environment than to a unpleasant tidal one. There would also be other benefits such as greatly improved conditions for all water sports and wildlife. The project included the building of an international standard canoe slalom/white water course and a navigation lock which enables vessels up to 6 metres wide to pass between the tidal and non tidal sections of the river.
Together with drainage works which now intercept sewage before it goes in to the river the Barrage has totally transformed the upstream river corridor. The river is clean, fish have returned and above all the investors have shown their confidence by coming in to transform the built environment and increase employment prospects. Certainly from a rowing perspective the river is now superb including as it does a 1000 metre multi lane multi purpose course.
Well worth a visit - for road access follow the signs from the A66. Cyclists have a variety of routes including along both sides of the Barrage reach (east of the Princess of Wales Bridge) from either Stockton or Thornaby and from Middlesbrough via the riverside cycleway from Newport.
Boats using this reach should note that the rule of the road is, as on all other parts of the river, "keep right". There are water skiing buoys to watch out for and, during the summer there may also be a ski jump moored toward the Teesdale bank. The Barrage Reach (that part of the river between the Barrage and the Princess of Wales Bridge) is subject to a shared use timetable agreed between high speed powered craft and other users. See Timetable in the Boathouse.
If, when you wish to boat, the time slot is for users other than rowing craft please act as follows: Having put your boat on the water go upstream without delay and use that part of the river above The Princess of Wales Bridge. When returning to the Centre keep a good lookout for powered craft on the Barrage Reach, turn to come into the pontoon as soon as possible and take your boat off the water without delay. (The need for "no delay" is to avoid the possibility of your boat being caught by the wash of a powered craft and to avoid causing inconvenience to those rightfully using their time slot on this part of the river).
There is a 5 mph speed limit for powered craft using the river upstream of the Princess of Wales Bridge. The only exceptions (provided for in the River By Laws) are rescue and emergency craft and coaching craft accompanying paddle/oar powered boats. Please note the word "accompanying" - the exemption entitles coaches to accompany their crew at the pace at which the crew is travelling. It does not permit coaching launches to exceed the speed limit to simply get quickly from one part of the river to another when not with a crew. Please also remember that although there is a speed exemption when accompanying a crew, conditions may be encountered when a speed below the limit may nevertheless be appropriate.
This is an artists impression of the pedestrian crossing of the Barrage Reach which is about to be built - construction will start early in 2004. The bridge has been designed in such a way as to enhance raher than obstruct boat racing activities.
Photo with acknowledgement to FreeFoto.com
The Princess of Wales Bridge - often referred to as the Diana Bridge - was built by Tarmac and opened on 23rd September 1992. It provides a road crossing between the Teesdale area of Thornaby and the north end of Riverside Road, Stockton.
The photograph shows the upstream side of the bridge. The minesweeper is HMS Kellington, the headquarters of Stockton Sea Cadets. She is moored at Corporation Quay, the last remaining element of Stockton's heritage as a port. The Barrage Reach/Regatta Course is to the downstream side of the bridge.
The Kellington came upstream before the Barrage was built but after the bridge was opened. So close was the clearance, even at low tide and despite removing parts of her superstructure, that scratch marks were left under the bridge. A short while ago the Ministry of Defence said they would sell the vessel to the Cadets but the price quoted was regarded as excessive. Reason prevailed and a sale was agreed when it was pointed out to the "Men from the Ministry" that if they wanted to take the ship back they may just have a bit of a removal problem.... there is this thing called a Barrage in the way....
It was with the Sea Cadets that we first entered into discussions in 1987 in the hope of establishing some form of centre for river based organisations. Happily for them they found the ideal solution to their accommodation problem when they obtained the Kellington, initially on loan. I believe that their former "brick and slate" minesweeper ,TS Fortitude, in Bowesfield Lane has since been "sunk".
Rowing boats going downstream MUST take the extreme right hand arch of this bridge (on the Teesdale side).Please note that there may be people fishing near this arch - we share the river so try to not to upset them even though strictly speaking they are not supposed to be there! Please note that it is dangerous to go downstream through the centre arch as you are blind to any craft which may be coming upstream.
Boats coming upstream MUST use the centre arch and when through the bridge should keep well to the Stockton side of Castlegate Reach as there could be boats, correctly positioned, coming downstream toward you in the main channel outside the line of buoys and moored boats.
Also when on this reach watch out for boats from Castlegate Watersports Centre - although accompanied by instructors , the users are likely to be young and inexperienced, not necessarily on the correct navigational station nor moving in a straight line. Be prepared to stop.
Teesquay Millenium Bridge
This footbridge links Teesdale and the Castlegate Centre in the High Street and, in the process, spans Riverside Road. Of cable stay design supported by a 40 metre high mast it was designed by Ove Arup , built by Birse Construction North East and completed in December 2000. Funding came through Stockton Council with assistance from the European Regional Development Fund, One North East's Single Regeneration Budget and English Partnerships.
The Tyne Millenium Bridge was delayed by high winds, that at York has been held up by floods Carlisle's looks as if it will never be built and London's wobbles. Ours just seemed to add it's elegant outline to the landscape with an enviable lack of drama.....
Boats going downstream MUST USE THE MAIN CHANNEL between the bridge pier and the STOCKTON bank. Do NOT pass between the pier and the Teesdale bank as driftwood could possibly be snagged underwater. After going under the bridge you may cross to inside the buoys/boats if safe to do so. The alternative is to keep to the main channel round the outside of the line of buoys, keeping a lookout for boats coming upstream, then after the final buoy move to the Teesdale bank ready to take the inside arch of Princess of Wales Bridge.
Spanning the river between Stockton and Thornaby this three arch road bridge is constructed of iron and stone. Whilst the finance for the new Millenium Bridge included significant contributions from a wide spread of external sources, Victoria Bridge was paid for mainly by locally raised funds. "Subscriptions" were raised from North Riding of Yorkshire, Durham County, Tees Conservancy Commissioners, Tramway Company, Water Board and North Eastern Railway Company. The balance of the cost was bourne by the two towns of Stockton and South Stockton (the latter we now know as Thornaby), in amounts proportionate to their Rateable Values.
(This bridge replaced the 1771 five arch Stockton Bridge which itself spelled the end of Yarm as a port as it restricted onward passage to Yarm to only small vessels).
Inscriptions at each end of the bridge include the following: "The Victoria Bridge was formally opened on the 20th June 1887and has been named THE VICTORIA BRIDGE in commemoration of the 50th year of the reign of her Most Gracious Majesty Queen Victoria...."
Together with the Transporter, Victoria Bridge vies for being my favourite. The Tranny is an outrageous and loveable anachronism - Victoria has a solid gracefulness. But then maybe it has more to do with the fact that on long training outings the former was the half way point and the latter meant that the long slog was almost over!
The rowing rule of the road through Victoria Bridge is quite straightforward. Always go downstream through the centre arch. Always come upstream through the Stockton side arch. If you fail to follow these rules you are blind to anything which may be coming in the opposite direction and therefore placing yourself and and others at serious risk.
On our trip so far the photos have been of the Tees as it is now. Of all the changes which have taken place over the past 40 odd years one of the most noticeable to Tees members is the view from what is now our former Boathouse. (This reach of the river is immediately upstream of Victoria Bridge).
This is how I remember it when at the age of 18 I was recruited to the club by David Storry (who is rowing at 5 in this eight) To the left are the houses of Thornaby Place - now the site of Tees Motor Boat Club. In the centre is Vulcan Foundry and to the right the buildings of Turnbull's Scrapyard. For what it looks like now - see the next photo.
The crew as far as I can tell is - bow(?), 2-John Goody?, 3-Brian Hudson, 4-Roy Smith?, 5-David Storry, 6-(?), 7-Peter Reed, Str-John Hilton and cox could be Alan Moses, John Baker or Tim Wilson!
Quite a change.The houses were demolished in the mid 60s and some landscaping improvements carried out. Later the old foundry was converted to light industrial units and the scrapyard was wound down. By the late 90s all the old buildings had gone and in 1999 Mandale Properies redeveloped the site with offices.
At the upstream end of Boathouse Reach we have a group of three bridges - two rail and one road.
Rowing boats should use the central arch of each bridge for both upstream and downstream passage. Note that visibility in both directions is somewhat obstructed by the bridge piers. Care and skill are needed to ensure that you are in the correct position through the arches ie to the right of the central channel. You must keep checking to see if any craft are coming in the opposite direction as they may appear suddenly having been hidden by a blind spot.
Coming downstream (1)- you need to look out for boats coming upstream. (2)- If doing a timed piece to the A66 make sure you wind down in time to be able to stop if necessary. (3)- immediately you are clear of the bridges you need to make a definite turn to starboard (right) in order to maintain your correct station "on the right".
Going upstream remember that crews/scullers may be coming down having just finished "doing a piece". They will be tired and, despite the advice given above, may not be fully alert. "If in doubt, shout!"
Watermanship includes use of all the senses, not just sight. Listen for warning shouts from other boats and if in doubt shout a warning yourself. Listen also for the siren of the Teesside Princess - it is quite distinctive and nothing like that of a railway engine! Remember too that wind can affect your course - particularly through bridges.
Although information on all the other Tees Bridges is available in some detail, this railway bridge has proved to be the exception. It would appear that some time late in the 19th century extra rail line capacity was needed across the river. At the same time Stephenson's Bridge had some structural problems which meant that it was subject to a weight restriction. So the railway company rapidly built this additional bridge alongside. It comprises spans in plate steel set on cast iron piers which are filled with concrete. Some time ago it became redundant and the rail tracks tracks were taken up.
In December 1830 an extension to the Stockton and Darlington Railway was opened to enable coal from Co.Durham to be shipped out of Port Darlington. Known as the Middlesbrough Branch it crossed the Tees via a suspension bridge - the first railway bridge of this type in the world.
It's designer was Samuel Brown - a Captain in the Royal Navy, a profession not exactly renowned for bridge design and construction. It was a failure, bouncing and wobbling when trains passed over it.
The great Isambard Kingdom Brunel commented "Wretched thing.....the floor creaks most woefully in returning". George Stephenson was a little more forthright describing it as "a complete failure".
In 1841 Stephenson designed a cast iron girder bridge with masonary piers to replace it. Ironically this bridge also encountered structural problems and was subsequently shored up and subjected to a weight restriction.
After the second bridge was built the opportunity was taken to carry out more permanent improvements to Stephenson's bridge. In 1907 the cast iron spans, which were structurally suspect, were replaced with steel. So well specified and constructed were the stone piers and the foundations that they were retained. The piers through which we pass today, and which you can see in this photo, are therefore those put in place 160 years ago.
Built in 1982 by Cementation Construction the Surtees Bridge carries the A66 trunk road over the River Tees thus completing the dual carriageway link between Darlington and Middlesbrough. At the same time it enables traffic to by pass Stockton and to "underpass" Thornaby.
It mirrors the railway bridges in having five spans and aligned piers. The spans are in a special type of steel known as "Corten". This material includes copper and was specifically developed to improve weathering qualities. A protective layer forms on the surface which prevents further oxidisation. Protective painting is therefore unnecessary.(The rods supporting the Teesquay Millenium Bridge are of the same material). The piers are of concrete.
I am given to believe that plans have been made to widen the bridge to three lanes each side although so far little publicity seems to have been given to such a scheme.
As for the origin of the name I am at present unsure. The Surtees family are long established in the north east of England and it is probable that the bridge is named after Robert Surtees of Mainsforth Hall (1779 - 1834) whose "The History and Antiquities of the County Palatine of Durham -a pre industrial history of the County" is regarded as the definitive work. To this day the Surtees Society continues his work through publication of historical manuscripts of Northumberland, Durham and the North Riding of Yorkshire.
Photo to follow
In itself there is nothing special about "Teal". Nevertheless it is a significant landmark being on the first big bend that you come to some 2000 metres above the boathouse.
The name is believed to have been bestowed on the location by Tees RC on the simple premise that there was a boat of that name moored there in the late 50s/early 60s. This boat is likely to have got it's name from the Grand National winning race horse owned by local farmer Ridley Lamb. The boat and the horse are long gone but the name lives on at a pub in Ingleby Barwick.
After a false start some years ago construction of the South Stockton Link Road is now partially completed. When fully built the new road will link the west end of the Teesside Parkway with Stockton via this new bridge over the river on the corner just downstream of the present Pipe Bridge. The Jubilee Bridge was opened in 2002. The "Start" of Tees Long Distance Sculls and Tees Small Boats Head of the River is immediately downstream of this bridge.
A useful landmark and known simply as "The Pipe Bridge" but behind the apparently mundane functionality of this bowstring bridge lies an intriguing story of engineering skills.
The bridge was constructed by Dowsett in 1959 to carry two 33 inch (840 mm) water supply pipes to serve the south Teesside area.
It comprises pre fabricated concrete parts which were brought from Lincolnshire. In order not to obstruct the river the engineers assembled the "kit of parts" on the Durham bank having pre prepared concrete abutments on each side of the crossing.
The whole unit spanning 210 feet (61 metres) and weighing 200 tons was then rolled across the river on a Bailey Bridge (a type of temporary rapid deployment bridge developed in the Second World War) before being shifted sideways on to it's abutments.
The "launch" operation was recorded on cine film (the home video of the day)and an Evening Gazette journalist was present - a report appearing in that paper on 3rd February 1959.
In 1979 a refurbishment scheme was carried out during which a third water pipe was added. At that time another pipe bridge, built in 1865 just upstream of the boathouse, also carried water across the river. The extra pipe on the 1959 bridge enabled the old bridge to be declared surplus to requirements and it was demolished by the Water Authority shortly afterwards.
The distance from the here to the A66 Surtees Bridge is 4250 metres (2.64 miles) and this stretch of river has been used by crews and scullers as a standard "time trial track" on which to monitor their endurance training.
Now that there is a new bridge which tends to obstruct visibility downstream of the Pipe Bridge it is strongly recommended that any "time trials" to the A66 are started from the new road bridge rather than from the Pipe Bridge.
On the face of it navigation of these bridges and their downstream bend seems to be straightforward. But, it is very easy to drift off course so please keep an extra sharp look out for any boats which may be coming in the opposite direction. Some of them, canoes in particular, are known to cut this and other bends on the wrong side of the river where you may not be expecting to see them. So - just in case and to allow them an escape route - do not get too close to the "inside" river bank. In the event of a collision being on the correct side of the river is all very well in terms of the law but it is better in the first place to spot and avoid the hazard rather hitting it....
Above the Pipe Bridge is a fairly straight reach about 500 metres long. The river then goes through a series of tight bends before reaching Preston Park. Navigation through these bends is fairly straightforward for small boats but much more tricky for an eight. For serious training sessions eights are best not taken above the top of Pipe Bridge reach.
Here we are looking downstream past Eaglescliffe Golf Course (on the left) toward the location of Teesside High School.
In the foreground is the lowest "peg" of a popular angling reach - when fishing competitions are being held Tees boathouse crews should turn here and go back downstream. The "turning peg" is some 7500 metres (4.66 miles) upstream of the boathouse giving quite a useful round trip for endurance training.
Taken about 1000 metres upstream of the previous picture I include this one for no better reason that it serves to show yet again what an attractive river the Tees now is. Bear in mind that, as the crow flies, this is less than 4 miles south of Stockton High Street.
A little further upstream the River Leven joins the Tees. From this confluence it is only some 1500 metres (just under a mile) up to Yarm Bridge.
In 1206 Yarm was described as the second largest seaport in the North of England even though it was 15 miles from the sea. Ships up to 60 tonnes burden could reach it from the sea with the assistance of four tides and a favourable wind.
For centuries Yarm was the site of the lowest bridge over the Tees. This was in existence in the early 13th century and was rebuilt by Bishop Skirlaw of Durham in 1400 AD. During the English Civil War part of the bridge was damaged and the missing section replaced, for security , with a draw bridge. It was the duty of the local vicar to raise the drawbridge each night and lower it the following morning.
The upstream half of the two southernmost arches of the present bridge date from that time. Our photo shows the downstream side of Yarm road bridge with the magnificent railway viaduct behind. (see also aerial photo below).
The main trade of the port was the export of corn, cheese, butter, salt, wool, hides and lead to London and the Continent. Imports included wine. Shipbuilding and sailmaking production also took place.
The demise of Yarm as a significant port was signalled in 1771 when a bridge was built at Stockton (some 11 km / 7 miles downstream) severely restricting the size of vessels which could pass upstream. Stockton then became a much more important port than Yarm until the beginning of coal shipping at Port Darlington (near the embryo Middlesbrough). Middlesbrough Dock (close to which Middlesbrough's Cellnet Riverside Stadium is built) was opened in 1842 to compete with upstream Port Darlington and closed for business in 1980 - it was just too small. Today most of the shipping activity on the river is based on Teesport and Tees Dock which offer deep water berths close to the North Sea.
This the end of the voyage up "our" part of the River Tees. I can find no more fitting illustration than this aerial photograph taken by the late Richard Crosthwaite. His family have been associated with the river for almost a century through the Tees Towing Company and were also patrons of the former Middlesbrough Amateur Boating Club. His hobbies included photography and microlight flying which he combined to produce a fascinating aerial archaeological record published as "Ancient Cleveland from the Air". Tragically he was killed on a routine flight in May 1987.
The photograph, taken in the early 1980s, represents the Yarm that many will remember from the days when it was the venue for Tees Regatta. I still meet rowers who recall the "skinyard" and it's smellÉ.it's roofs and chimney can be seen at the top of the picture. It has since been demolished and the site redeveloped with housing.
Just to it's right is the Friarage, now part of Yarm School but originally the home of Thomas Meynell, Chairman of the promoters of the Stockton and Darlington Railway. Their first meeting was on 12th February 1820 in the "George and Dragon" which still stands in the High Street.
Also visible near the Town Hall is the Black Bull - their back room was used as the regatta changing room. Regatta teas were provided in the Hall attached to the Wesleyan Chapel, the octagonal building which can just be seen near the river if you go left from the Town Hall. This Chapel is said to have been one of Wesley's favourites.
The section of river in the top half of the picture is that which was used for the Regatta. Temporary landing stages and steps had to be uncovered each year by digging out the weeds and silt. Because at that time the river was tidal the regatta would begin with course upstream towards the bridge with the rising tide. When the tide turned the direction of the course was reversed to be with the falling tide. As you may imagine it was sometimes a close run thing to complete all the races before we quite literally ran out of water.
The railway viaduct, which has 43 arches and is 695 metres long (regular quiz questions) was designed by Thomas Grainger and completed in 1851. The two arches which span the river are of stone, quarried in Osmotherley and hauled to Yarm by cart. The bricks for the other arches were also locally sourced, from two brickworks in Yarm. The viaduct is still in use today carrying freight and passenger services from Teesside down to the main east coast line which it joins at Northallerton.
One of the long distance upstream "training outings" that we used to do was known as a "Yarm Sunday". This would comprise choosing a Sunday when the flood tide at 11am at the boathouse had just over an hour to run. We would set off with the aim of reaching Yarm before the tide turned, park the boat on the river bank behind the Black Bull, adjourn for a little "light refreshment" and row back down to Stockton with the ebb tide.
The river banks of Yarm have since seen significant changes. Flood defence walls have been created and an attractive promenade and jetty constructed. Yarm School Rowing Club have a landing stage on the Friarage river bank.
You can take a river trip from Stockton to Yarm the hard way - by rowing or sculling. Or you can board the Teesside Princess and sample the delights of this section of the Tees with someone else doing the work. Whichever way you chose I hope this guide will add that extra bit of interest to your journey.
Chris Kenyon. Originally written March 2001. Most recent update March 2002.