50-603: The Royal Border Bridge spans the River Tweed between Berwick-upon-Tweed and Tweedmouth in Northumberland , England . It is a Grade I listed railway viaduct built between 1847 and 1850, when it was opened by Queen Victoria . It was designed by Robert Stephenson (son of railway pioneer George Stephenson ). It was built for the York, Newcastle and Berwick Railway and is still in regular use today, as part of
100-431: A buttress . The river piers were deliberately shaped at water level in such a manner that sheets of ice flowing in the river would be broken up on contact with the bridge; this process was aided by the embedding of several iron bars into the masonry for greater strength. This feature was covered by later alterations to the piers, which were performed as a part of measures made to accommodate for an extra rail track. While
150-563: A drumlin field . It is the relic of a paleo- ice stream that flowed through the area during the last glaciation. Major towns through which the Tweed flows include Innerleithen , Peebles , Galashiels , Melrose , Kelso , Coldstream and Berwick-upon-Tweed , where it flows into the North Sea . Tweed tributaries include: The upper parts of the catchment of the Tweed in Scotland form
200-537: A central workhouse and an elected board of guardians . Cumberland was divided into nine unions: Alston with Garrigill, Bootle, Brampton, Carlisle, Cockermouth, Longtown, Penrith, Whitehaven and Wigton. In the following year the Municipal Corporations Act 1835 was passed, reforming boroughs and cities in England and Wales as municipal boroughs with a uniform constitution. The corporation of
250-584: A lengthy civil war . The Cumbric language is believed to have become extinct in the 12th century. The area returned to the English crown in 1157, when Henry II of England took possession of the area (from Malcolm IV of Scotland ). Henry II formed two new counties from the former earldom: Westmorland and Carliol – originally an abbreviation of the Latin Carlioliensis '[bishop] of Carlisle'. Westmorland also included areas formerly part of
300-640: A national County flowers of the United Kingdom campaign by the charity Plantlife . In 2012, a flag based on the arms of the former Cumberland County Council was registered as the flag of Cumberland with the Flag Institute . In 2013, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government , Eric Pickles , formally recognised and acknowledged the continued existence of England's 39 historic counties, including Cumberland. In 2021, it
350-613: A non-Celtic form of the Indo-European root *teuha- meaning "swell, grow powerful". The River Tweed flows primarily through the scenic Borders region of Scotland. Eastwards from the settlements on opposing banks of Birgham and Carham it forms the historic boundary between Scotland and England. It rises in the Lowther Hills at Tweed's Well near to where the Clyde , draining northwest (10 kilometres (6.2 mi) from
400-415: A number of distinct townships and hamlets. Many of these ancient parishes eventually became civil parishes and form the lowest level of local government. Cumberland Ward included Carlisle and Wigton as well as parts of Inglewood Forest . The parish of Stanwix just to the north of Carlisle was partly in both Eskdale and Cumberland wards. * Parts or all of these parishes and townships constituted
450-562: A one-mile length of the route; the non-masonry sections consist of earth embankments. On 15 May 1847, the foundation stone for what would become the Royal Border Bridge, which was then simply referred to as the Tweed Viaduct , was laid. The Cumberland -based construction firm McKay & Blackstock were appointed to build the structure, while the civil engineer George Barclay Bruce , a former apprentice of Stephenson's,
500-526: A permanent lighting system to be installed. During 2016, the bridge was fitted with colour-changing lights; the installation being completed in time for the structure's 160th anniversary. River Tweed The River Tweed , or Tweed Water , Scots : Watter o Tweid , Welsh : Tuedd ), is a river 97 miles (156 km) long that flows east across the Border region in Scotland and northern England. Tweed cloth derives its name from its association with
550-581: A population of 50,000 people or more to become a " county borough ", independent of county council control. In 1914, Carlisle successfully applied for this status, ceasing to form part of the administrative county , although remaining within Cumberland for the purposes such as Lieutenancy and shrievalty . The Local Government Act 1929 imposed the duty on county councils of reviewing the districts within their administrative county so as to form more efficient units of local government. In general, this meant
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#1732782815006600-539: Is expected to be completed during 2028. Cumberland Cumberland ( / ˈ k ʌ m b ər l ə n d / KUM -bər-lənd ) is a historic county in North West England . The historic county is bordered by Northumberland to the north-east, County Durham to the east, Westmorland to the south-east, Lancashire to the south, and the Scottish counties of Dumfriesshire and Roxburghshire to
650-709: Is formed by the Solway Estuary and the border with Scotland running east to Scotch Knowe at Kershope Burn. The boundary runs south from Scotch Knowe along the Cheviot Hills , then followed a tributary of the River Irthing and crossed Denton Fell to the River Tees . From Tees Head the boundary crosses the Pennines to descend Crowdundale Beck, from where it followed the rivers Eden and Eamont to
700-415: Is used throughout the structure, which is complete with brickwork soffits that form the arches' undersides, and covered by stone cladding . The greatest height of the structure is 38.4 metres, which is located at the deepest point of the riverbed below. Possessing a total length of 658 metres, each of the bridge's over-arch spans measures 18.6 metres. The contract for the bridge's construction pertained to
750-582: The Earldom of Lancaster . The lead- and silver-mining area of Alston , previously associated with the Liberty of Tynedale was later also added to the new county of Carliol for financial reasons. By 1177, Carliol had become known as Cumberland. The border between England and Scotland was made permanent by the Treaty of York in 1237. The boundaries formed in the 12th century were not changed substantially over
800-699: The Early Middle Ages , Cumbria was part of the Kingdom of Strathclyde in the Hen Ogledd , or "Old North", and its people spoke a Brittonic language now called Cumbric . The first record of the term 'Cumberland' appears in AD 945, when the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle recorded that the area was ceded to Malcolm I , king of Alba (Scotland), by King Edmund I of England . As with 'Cymru' ,
850-471: The East Coast Main Line . Despite its name, the bridge does not in fact span the border between England and Scotland , which is approximately three miles further north. The bridge is 659 metres (2,162 ft) long and constructed in stone except for brick soffits to the arches . It has 28 arches, each spanning 60 feet (18 m). The railway is carried 37 metres (121 ft) above
900-602: The Local Government Act 1888 , the Cumberland County Council was created as the county council for Cumberland, taking over administrative functions from the Court of Quarter Sessions . The Local Government Act 1894 reconstituted the existing sanitary districts as urban districts and rural districts , each with an elected council. The Act of 1888 also allowed any municipal borough with
950-635: The Public Health Act 1875 ( 38 & 39 Vict. c. 55) saw the creation of sanitary districts throughout England and Wales. The existing municipal boroughs and local boards became "urban sanitary districts", while "rural sanitary districts" were formed from the remaining areas of the poor law unions. Three more local boards were formed: Arlecdon and Frizington in 1882, Harrington in 1891 and Aspatria in 1892. In addition Workington and Whitehaven received charters of incorporation to become municipal boroughs in 1883 and 1894 respectively. In 1889, under
1000-531: The Carlisle district, settling it with colonists. He created an Earldom of Carlisle, and granted the territory to Ranulf le Meschin . In 1133, Carlisle was made the see of a new diocese , largely identical with the area of the earldom. However, on the death of King Henry I of England in 1135, the area was regained by King David I of Scotland . He was able to consolidate his power and made Carlisle one of his chief seats of government, while England descended into
1050-810: The City of Carlisle was accordingly remodelled with a popularly elected council consisting of a mayor, aldermen and councillors. Outside of municipal boroughs, there was no effective local government until the 1840s. In response to poor sanitary conditions and outbreaks of cholera , the Public Health Act 1848 ( 11 & 12 Vict. c. 63) and the Local Government Act 1858 allowed for the formation of local boards of health in populous areas. Local boards were responsible inter alia for water supply, drainage, sewerage, paving and cleansing. Eleven local boards were initially formed at Brampton, Cleator Moor, Cockermouth, Egremont, Holme Cultram, Keswick, Maryport, Millom, Penrith, Whitehaven, Wigton and Workington. Further reform under
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#17327828150061100-446: The City of Carlisle, and were largely outside the jurisdiction of Cumberland Ward. During the 19th century a series of reforms reshaped the local government of the county, creating a system of districts with directly elected councils. The first changes concerned the administration of the poor law , which was carried at parish level. The Poor Law Amendment Act 1834 provided for the grouping of parishes into poor law unions , each with
1150-713: The Cumberland Athletics Club; and various organisations and companies, such as the local newspapers The Cumberland News , and The West Cumberland Times and Star , and the Cumberland Building Society . It is also mentioned in Macbeth as the kingdom given to Prince Malcolm, and is also the initial setting for the Geoffrey Trease historical novel Cue for Treason . In June 1994, during the 1990s UK local government reform ,
1200-569: The Local Government Commission published draft recommendations, suggesting as one option a North Cumbria unitary authority (also including Appleby , the historic county town of Westmorland). It also suggested that Cumberland could be reinstated as an independent ceremonial county . The final recommendations, published in October 1994, did not include such recommendations, apparently due to lack of expression of support for
1250-524: The River Tweed. The Tweed is one of the great salmon rivers of Britain and the only river in England where an Environment Agency rod licence is not required for angling . The river generates a large income for the local borders region, attracting anglers from all around the world. Tweed may represent an Old Brittonic name meaning "border". A doubtful proposal is that the name is derived from
1300-542: The Tweed's Well), and the Annan draining south (1.9 kilometres (1.2 mi) from the Tweed's Well) also rise. "Annan, Tweed and Clyde rise oot the ae hillside" is a saying from the Border region. East of Kelso , it becomes a section of the eastern part of the border. Entering England, its lower reaches are in Northumberland , where it enters the North Sea at Berwick-upon-Tweed . The river east of St Boswells runs through
1350-433: The application of a patented Nasmyth steam-powered pile driver . In order to control and effectively drain away water at the site, several deep cofferdams were constructed which, along with several steam-driven pumps, worked together to keep out the water. The first elements of the structure to be completed were the 15 land arches, along with the stop pier; during the construction of the remaining arches, this functioned as
1400-527: The area known as Tweeddale , part of which is protected as the Upper Tweeddale National Scenic Area , one of 40 such areas in Scotland which are defined so as to identify areas of exceptional scenery and to ensure its protection from inappropriate development. Despite that the catchment straddles the border between Scotland and England, management of it – in terms of water quality, bio-security, and ultimately protection of
1450-525: The bridge. After having stood for 143 years as a major part of the East Coast Main Line, the Royal Border Bridge underwent significant maintenance for the first time during 1993. The restoration program, which was largely focused upon repairs to the 15 land based arches, was undertaken as a joint project between the newly founded railway infrastructure maintenance firm Railtrack and English Heritage . During early 2010, plans were mooted for
1500-563: The centre of Ullswater . The line follows Glencoin Beck to the top of Helvellyn ridge at Wrynose Pass and along the River Duddon (near Millom ) to the sea . The highest point of the county is Scafell Pike , at 3,208 feet (978 m), the highest mountain in England. Carlisle is the county town . The Earldom of Carlisle was partitioned into baronies. When the County of Cumberland
1550-576: The county's existence. There are four English historic counties and two Scottish counties that it borders: Northumberland and County Durham to the east; Westmorland to the south, the Furness part of Lancashire to the southwest; Dumfriesshire to the north and Roxburghshire to the northeast. To the west the county is bounded by the Solway Firth and the Irish Sea . The northern boundary
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1600-415: The height of construction activity, the workforce is believed to have involved upwards of 2,700 men. During the designing of the structure, particular attention was paid to the foundations of the bridge. Firmly anchoring the bridge involved the driving of many piles into the bedrock , which could be reached only by going through roughly 12 metres of dense gravel above; this task was considerably aided by
1650-472: The installation of a night-time illumination scheme upon the Royal Border Bridge; at the time, this measure was promoted as being a commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the death of Robert Stephenson. Originally meant to be operational by November 2010, weather conditions, particularly ice , damaged underwater cables, delaying the illumination and preventing some lights from functioning. In January 2012, Northumberland County Council filed its application for
1700-404: The key bridges along the envisioned route, although some of the detailed work was commonly performed by other figures as well. The viaduct, which is constructed on a gentle curve, was a conventional masonry structure. It consists of 28 arches, 15 of which being over land to the south of the River Tweed and 13 over the river itself; these were set out in two groups separated by a stop pier. Masonry
1750-535: The line along the surveyed route, the completion of several major structures, such as the High Level Bridge in Newcastle and the Royal Border Bridge itself, was necessary to traverse terrain features. In the case of the Royal Border Bridge, it was required to take the line over the River Tweed at a site close to the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed , Northumberland . During 1847, Hudson was instrumental in
1800-512: The merger of the N&;BR with another of his business interests, the York and Newcastle Railway (Y&NR) to form the York, Newcastle and Berwick Railway (YN&BR). This combined entity sought to complete a continuous line between the British capital cities of London and Edinburgh . The company's chief engineer, and thus the individual most crucial to the completion of the desired line,
1850-419: The merging of small or lightly populated areas into larger units. A review was carried in Cumberland in 1934. The following table lists the urban and rural districts before and after the changes. The distribution of population in 1971 was as follows:1971 Census; Small Area Statistics In 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972 , the administrative county and county borough were abolished and their former area
1900-630: The native Welsh name for Wales , the names 'Cumberland' and 'Cumbria' are derived from kombroges in Common Brittonic , which originally meant "compatriots". At the time of the Domesday Book (AD 1086) most of the future county was part of Scotland, although some villages around Millom , which were the possessions of the Earl of Northumbria , had been incorporated into Yorkshire . In AD 1092, King William Rufus of England invaded
1950-507: The north. The area includes the city of Carlisle , part of the Lake District and North Pennines , and the Solway Firth coastline. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th century until 1974, when it was subsumed into Cumbria with Westmorland as well as parts of Yorkshire and Lancashire . It gives its name to the unitary authority area of Cumberland , which has similar boundaries but excludes Penrith . In
2000-514: The permanent structure was still under construction, several temporary timber viaducts were deployed and used by early train services, as well as by construction-related traffic. In this fashion, the overall route could be opened without having to wait for the completion of the Royal Border Bridge, somewhat alleviating pressure from investors. This decision proved beneficial as, while the permanent structure had been intended to be completed in July 1849, it
2050-501: The proposal to the commission. The Grass-of-Parnassus was the county flower . It had been associated with the county since 1951, when it was included in the coat of arms granted to the Cumberland County Council. It subsequently featured in the arms granted to Cumbria County Council and Copeland Borough Council , in both cases to represent Cumberland. The flower was also attributed to Cumbria in 2002 as part of
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2100-457: The river level. During 1989, it was electrified as a part of the wider East Coast Main Line electrification scheme. Between 1993 and 1996, the structure underwent significant repair work for the first time in a Railtrack -led project, which was partially funded by English Heritage . The Royal Border Bridge has its origins in the ambitions of Newcastle and Berwick Railway (N&BR) company, which
2150-500: The salmon of the River Tweed – is overseen by a single body, the River Tweed Commission. As of 2024 , work is in progress on the development of a 113-mile (182 km) walking and cycling route following the length of the river from Moffat to Berwick-on-Tweed. The work includes new sections of path, upgrades to existing paths, bridge replacement and repairs, pedestrian road crossings, lighting and signage. The path
2200-605: Was combined with Westmorland and parts of Lancashire and the West Riding of Yorkshire to form the new county of Cumbria . The area from Cumberland went on to form the districts of Carlisle , Allerdale , Copeland and part of Eden . The name continues in use as a geographical and cultural term, and it survives in Cumberland sausages ; HMS Cumberland ; the Cumberland Fell Runners Club;
2250-559: Was created, the baronies were subdivided as wards , a county sub-division also used in Durham , Northumberland and Westmorland . These originated as military subdivisions used to organise the male inhabitants for the county's defence from Scottish troop incursions. Each ward was composed of a number of parishes, areas originally formed for ecclesiastical administration. In common with other northern England counties, many ancient parishes in Cumberland were very large, often consisting of
2300-446: Was formed in 1845 under the control of the prolific railway financier and politician George Hudson . Almost immediately following its founding, the N&BR's proposed line was authorised by an Act of Parliament and construction work had commenced by July 1845. While much of the line was completed within two years of this date, work upon several major structures, including the Royal Border Bridge, had barely begun. In order to construct
2350-527: Was modified by British Rail to accommodate the installation of electrification gantries. As a consequence of the Royal Border Bridge having been recognised with Grade 1 listed status , the overhead line infrastructure used was specially designed for a reduced visual impact on the bridge and had to be reviewed and approved by the Royal Fine Art Commission prior to its installation. The installation allows for electric traction to traverse
2400-453: Was not ready to carry rail traffic until March 1850. On 29 August 1850, the bridge was officially opened in a ceremony officiated by the reigning monarch, Queen Victoria , and Prince Albert ; it was at this event that the Queen consented for the structure to be formally named as the Royal Border Bridge. During 1989, as a part of the East Coast Main Line electrification program, the structure
2450-442: Was selected to serve as the resident engineer, being responsible overseeing the day-to-day work at the site. Reportedly, the construction of the Royal Border Bridge consumed 8 million cubic feet (227,000 cubic metres) of stone; the inner part of the arches alone required 2.5 million bricks. Many of the same techniques that had been employed in the construction of Newcastle's High Level Bridge were shared with this structure as well. At
2500-465: Was the noted railway engineer Robert Stephenson , who was the son of the railway pioneer George Stephenson . Regardless of Stephenson's presence at the YN&;BR, the majority of the planning and engineering was undertaken by the civil engineer Thomas Elliot Harrison , albeit this work was performed under Stephenson's supervision. In particular, Stephenson typically played a hands-on role in the design of
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