Causey Arch

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title: "Causey Arch" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["railway-bridges-in-county-durham", "tourist-attractions-in-county-durham", "grade-i-listed-buildings-in-county-durham", "grade-i-listed-railway-bridges-and-viaducts", "bridges-completed-in-1726", "industrial-archaeological-sites-in-england", "arch-bridges-in-the-united-kingdom", "1726-establishments-in-great-britain", "stanley,-county-durham"] description: "Bridge in County Durham, England" topic_path: "philosophy" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Causey_Arch" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Bridge in County Durham, England ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox bridge"]

Field	Value
name	Causey Arch
image	File:Causey Arch.jpg
alt	Stone arch railway bridge
caption	North side of the bridge
os_grid_reference	NZ 20126 55896
carries	Waggonway (disused); footpath
crosses	Causey Burn
locale	Stanley, County Durham
design	Arch
material	Stone
length	105 ft
height	80 ft
number_spans	1
designer	Ralph Wood
open
extra
embedded	{{Infobox designation list
embed	yes
designation1	UK GRADE I
designation1_offname	CAUSEY ARCH
designation1_number	1240816
designation1_date
::

| name = Causey Arch | native_name = | native_name_lang = | image = File:Causey Arch.jpg | image_upright = | alt = Stone arch railway bridge | caption = North side of the bridge | coordinates = | os_grid_reference = NZ 20126 55896 | qid = | refs = | carries = Waggonway (disused); footpath | crosses = Causey Burn | locale = Stanley, County Durham | starts = | ends = | official_name = | other_name = | named_for = | owner = | maint = | heritage = | id = | id_type = | website = | preceded = | followed = | design = Arch | material = Stone | material1 = | material2 = | length = 105 ft | width = | height = 80 ft | depth = | traversable = | towpath = | mainspan = | number_spans = 1 | piers_in_water = | load = | clearance_above = | clearance_below = | lanes = | life = | first_length = | first_diameter = | second_length = | second_diameter = | third_length = | third_diameter = | capacity = | num_track = | track_gauge = | structure_gauge = | electrification = | architect = | designer = Ralph Wood | contracted_designer = | winner = | engineering = | builder = | fabricator = | begin = | complete = | cost = | open = | inaugurated = | rebuilt = | collapsed = | closed = | replaces = | replaced_by = | traffic = | toll = | extra = | embedded = {{Infobox designation list |embed=yes | designation1 = UK GRADE I | designation1_offname = CAUSEY ARCH | designation1_number = 1240816 | designation1_date = The Causey Arch is a bridge near Stanley in County Durham, northern England. It is the oldest surviving single-arch railway bridge in the world, and a key element of the industrial heritage of England. It carried an early wagonway (horse-drawn carts on wooden rails) to transport coal. The line was later diverted, and no longer uses the bridge.

History

Originally named Dawson's Bridge and associated with Dawson's Colliery, it was built in 1725–26 by stonemason Ralph Wood, funded by a coalition of coal-owners known as the "Grand Allies" (founded by Colonel Liddell, the Hon. Charles Montague and George Bowes the owner of Gibside Estate on which the bridge is situated) at a cost of £12,000.

When completed in 1726, it was the longest single-span bridge in the country with an arch span of 31 m, a record it held for thirty years until 1756 when the Old Bridge was built in Pontypridd, Wales. After he designed the bridge, Ralph Wood was so afraid that his arch would collapse that he committed suicide in 1727, but the bridge still stands today. An inscription on a sundial at the site reads "Ra. Wood, mason, 1727".

Two tracks crossed the Arch: one (the "main way") to take coal to the River Tyne, and the other (the "bye way") for returning the empty wagons. Over 900 horse-drawn wagons crossed the arch each day using the Tanfield Railway.

Use of the arch declined when Tanfield Colliery was destroyed by fire in 1739.

Present status

The Arch has been Grade I listed since 1950. It was restored and reinforced in the 1980s. There are a series of scenic public paths around the area and the Causey Burn which runs underneath it. The quarry near the bridge is a popular spot for local rock climbers.

Causey Burn itself flows into Beamish Burn which then flows into the River Team, eventually discharging into the River Tyne.

References

• Skempton, A.W. (2002) Biographical Dictionary of Civil Engineers in Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Volume 1, 1500–1830, p 791–792. Published by Thomas Telford Ltd.

References

1. "Sunniside Local History Society".
2. George Bowes contributing his share of the expense incurred "in making and erecting the bridge called Dawson's Bridge (the Tanfield Arch), and of drifting into and winning the colliery called Mr. Dawson's Colliery". Tomlinson, William Weaver. ''The North Eastern Railway Its Rise and Development'', pp.8-10. Published by Longmans, Green & Company, London, 1915. via [https://archive.org/details/northeasternrail00tomlrich/northeasternrail00tomlrich/ Internet Archive] Retrieved 1 March 2025
3. "Causey Arch Stanley, England".
4. {{National Heritage List for England. (19 July 1950)

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