Bambuco Bridge

Last updated

Bambuco Bridge
Bambuco Bridge 1.jpg
Artist Bambuco
Year18 July 2008 (2008-07-18)–20 July 2008 (2008-07-20)
MediumBamboo and rope
Subject Simple suspension bridge
Dimensions25 m× 120 m(82 ft× 390 ft)
ConditionDismantled
Location Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead
Coordinates 54°58′09″N1°36′14″W / 54.9692°N 1.6039°W / 54.9692; -1.6039

The Bambuco Bridge was a temporary outdoor sculpture in the form of a simple suspension bridge spanning the River Tyne, England, made entirely from bamboo wood. [1] The public art was designed and built for the SummerTyne festival, part of the NewcastleGateshead initiative.

Contents

History

The 'bridge' was actually a sculpture and could not be used for human or vehicular transport. [2] The sculpture opened for its three-day run at 10:00 on 18 July 2008, and closed on 20 July; the opening coincided with the start of the ten-day SummerTyne festival. [3] [4] There was a light show at 21:00 on 18 July to officially mark the occasion. After the three-day period, the bridge was dismantled in late July.

Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead commissioned the Australia-based firm Bambuco to create the bridge sculpture from 20 tonnes (in 800 pieces) [5] of bamboo in 2008, the 80th anniversary of the construction of the Tyne Bridge. The sculpture's construction started in late June 2008. It was located between the Tyne Bridge and the Gateshead Millennium Bridge and spanned 120 m (390 ft) across the river, at a height of 25 m (82 ft). The sculpturewhich had its legs next to HMS Calliope on the Gateshead bank and the law courts on the Newcastle bankwas also at a slight angle across the river. [2] The founder of Bambuco, Simon Barley had the initial idea of a bamboo bridge over the Tyne, but died in 2007 before the project could be undertaken; Bambuco toyed with calling this bridge the Bridge of Si's, a play on Venice's Bridge of Sighs. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newcastle upon Tyne</span> City in England

Newcastle upon Tyne, or simply Newcastle, is a cathedral city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is located on the River Tyne's northern bank, opposite Gateshead to the south. It is the most populous settlement in the Tyneside conurbation and North East England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Tyne</span> River in North East England

The River Tyne is a river in North East England. Its length is 73 miles (118 km). It is formed by the North Tyne and the South Tyne, which converge at Warden Rock near Hexham in Northumberland at a place dubbed 'The Meeting of the Waters'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gateshead</span> Town in Tyne and Wear, England

Gateshead is a town in the Gateshead Metropolitan Borough of Tyne and Wear, England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank. The town's attractions include the twenty metre tall Angel of the North sculpture on the town's southern outskirts, The Glasshouse International Centre for Music and the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art. The town shares the Millennium Bridge, Tyne Bridge and multiple other bridges with Newcastle upon Tyne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tyne Bridge</span> Bridge in north east England

The Tyne Bridge is a through arch bridge over the River Tyne in North East England, linking Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead. The bridge was designed by the engineering firm Mott, Hay and Anderson, who later designed the Forth Road Bridge, and was built by Dorman Long and Co. of Middlesbrough. The bridge was officially opened on 10 October 1928 by King George V and has since become a defining symbol of Tyneside. It is ranked as the tenth tallest structure in Newcastle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gateshead Millennium Bridge</span> Pedestrian and cyclist tilt bridge between Newcastle and Gateshead spanning the River Tyne

The Gateshead Millennium Bridge is a pedestrian and cyclist tilt bridge spanning the River Tyne between Gateshead arts quarter on the south bank and Newcastle upon Tyne's Quayside area on the north bank. It was the first tilting bridge ever to be constructed. Opened for public use in 2001, the award-winning structure was conceived and designed by architectural practice WilkinsonEyre and structural engineering firm Gifford. The bridge is sometimes called the 'Blinking Eye Bridge' or the 'Winking Eye Bridge' due to its shape and its tilting method. The Millennium Bridge stands as the twentieth tallest structure in the city, and is shorter in stature than the neighbouring Tyne Bridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High Level Bridge, River Tyne</span> Road-rail bridge in Tyneside, England

The High Level Bridge is a road and railway bridge spanning the River Tyne between Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead in North East England. It was built by the Hawks family from 5,050 tons of iron. George Hawks, Mayor of Gateshead, drove in the last key of the structure on 7 June 1849, and the bridge was officially opened by Queen Victoria later that year.

"Blaydon Races" is a Geordie folk song of 1862, with lyrics by George Ridley written in a style deriving from music hall. It celebrates the horse races held at Blaydon in North East England that year, although mostly composed in advance of the event. The words were inspired by the American ballad "On the Road to Brighton", to the tune of which they are set. The song has become a local anthem, and is frequently sung by supporters of Newcastle United Football Club, Newcastle Falcons rugby club, and Durham County Cricket Club.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wylam</span> Human settlement in England

Wylam is a village and civil parish in the county of Northumberland. It is located about 10 miles (16 km) west of Newcastle upon Tyne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Newcastle upon Tyne</span> Development of a city in North East England

The history of Newcastle upon Tyne dates back almost 2,000 years, during which it has been controlled by the Romans, the Angles and the Norsemen amongst others. Newcastle upon Tyne was originally known by its Roman name Pons Aelius. The name "Newcastle" has been used since the Norman conquest of England. Due to its prime location on the River Tyne, the town developed greatly during the Middle Ages and it was to play a major role in the Industrial Revolution, being granted city status in 1882. Today, the city is a major retail, commercial and cultural centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quayside</span>

The Quayside is an area along the banks (quay) of the River Tyne in Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead in Tyne and Wear, North East England, United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">King Edward VII Bridge</span> Bridge in Tyneside

The King Edward VII Bridge is a railway bridge spanning the River Tyne between Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead, in North East England. It is a Grade II listed structure. The King Edward VII bridge has been described as “Britain’s last great railway bridge”.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Redheugh Bridge</span> Bridge in Tyneside

The Redheugh Bridge is a road bridge spanning the River Tyne west of Newcastle upon Tyne city centre on the north bank and Gateshead town centre on the south bank, in North East England. It currently carries the A189 road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saltwell Park</span> Park in Gateshead, England

Saltwell Park is a Victorian park in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England. Opened in 1876, the park was designed by Edward Kemp and incorporates the mansion and associated grounds of the Saltwellgate estate owner, William Wailes, who sold his estate to Gateshead Council for £35,000. Upon opening, it became known as "The People's Park". The park was expanded in 1920 when the council purchased the adjacent gardens to the Saltwell Grove estate and added these to the park. This extended the park's total size to 55 acres (22 ha). Towards the end of the 20th century, the park had fallen into disrepair, but between 1999 and 2005, it was subject to a £9.6 million restoration project, funded collaboratively by the Heritage Lottery Fund and Gateshead Council and is now host to around 2 million visitors per year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gateshead Interchange</span> Tyne and Wear Metro station in Gateshead

Gateshead Interchange is a Tyne and Wear Metro station, serving the town of Gateshead in Tyne and Wear, England. It joined the network on 15 November 1981, following the opening of the third phase of the network, between Haymarket and Heworth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wylam Railway Bridge</span> Bridge in Northumberland

Wylam Railway Bridge is a footbridge and former railway bridge crossing the River Tyne at Hagg Bank, approximately 12 mile (0.8 km) west of Wylam in Northumberland, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scotswood Bridge</span> Bridge in Tyneside

Scotswood Bridge is one of the main bridges crossing the River Tyne in North East England. It links the west end of Newcastle upon Tyne on the north bank of the river with the MetroCentre and Blaydon in Gateshead on the south bank. It is situated 5.2 km (3.2 mi) upstream of the better-known city centre bridges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scotswood Railway Bridge</span> Bridge in Tyneside

Scotswood Railway Bridge is a pipeline bridge and former railway bridge crossing the River Tyne in North East England. It previously carried the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway between Scotswood and Blaydon stations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">York, Newcastle and Berwick Railway</span> Former English railway company

The York, Newcastle and Berwick Railway (YN&BR) was an English railway company formed in 1847 by the amalgamation of the York and Newcastle Railway and the Newcastle and Berwick Railway. Both companies were part of the group of business interests controlled by George Hudson, the so-called Railway King. In collaboration with the York and North Midland Railway and other lines he controlled, he planned that the YN&BR would form the major part of a continuous railway between London and Edinburgh. At this stage the London terminal was Euston Square and the route was through Normanton. This was the genesis of the East Coast Main Line, but much remained to be done before the present-day route was formed, and the London terminus was altered to King's Cross.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brandling Junction Railway</span> Former railway in England

The Brandling Junction Railway was an early railway in County Durham, England. It took over the Tanfield Waggonway of 1725 that was built to bring coal from Tanfield to staiths on the River Tyne at Dunston. The Brandling Junction Railway itself opened in stages from 1839, running from Gateshead to Wearmouth and South Shields. Wearmouth was regarded at the time as the "Sunderland" terminal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newcastle & Carlisle Railway</span>

The Newcastle & Carlisle Railway (N&CR) was an English railway company formed in 1825 that built a line from Newcastle upon Tyne on Britain's east coast, to Carlisle, on the west coast. The railway began operating mineral trains in 1834 between Blaydon and Hexham, and passengers were carried for the first time the following year. The rest of the line opened in stages, completing a through route between Carlisle and Gateshead, south of the River Tyne in 1837. The directors repeatedly changed their intentions for the route at the eastern end of the line, but finally a line was opened from Scotswood to a Newcastle terminal in 1839. That line was extended twice, reaching the new Newcastle Central Station in 1851.

References

  1. "Bamboo bridge work starts on Tyne". BBC News . BBC. 26 June 2008. Retrieved 3 July 2008.
  2. 1 2 3 Whetstone, David (24 May 2008). "Eighth Tyne bridge that can't be crossed on foot". The Journal . Newcastle upon Tyne: Trinity Mirror . Retrieved 3 July 2008.
  3. "2008 projects". Bambuco. Archived from the original on 22 July 2008. Retrieved 3 July 2008.
  4. "SummerTyne". Newcastle/Gateshead. Archived from the original on 4 December 2008. Retrieved 3 July 2008.
  5. Collett, Chris (29 June 2008). "Bambuco bridges the gap". Metro . London: DMG Media . Retrieved 3 July 2008.