Pay Bridge

Pay Bridge
County Durham
Location
Type:	Road bridge
Crossing:	River Wear
Location
Grid reference:	NZ19973392
Location:	54°41’60"N, 1°41’30"W
Structure
Type:	Road bridge
History
	Built c 1900
Information

Pay Bridge is a small footbridge over the River Wear in County Durham. It is near Newfield, a former mining village, from where a long path runs down to the bridge, linking Newfield with Sunnybrow, Willington. A wooden bridge connected with the coal industry and built for the West Durham Railway existed here from 1838. The line and bridge were no longer in use by 1900. The present footbridge was built at the site and was apparently so named as miners needed to use it on their way to collect their pay. An alternative and more likely explanation derives from the fact that it was a toll bridge.

Another railway bridge lay somewhat to the north of the Pay Bridge at one time, in connection with the mining industry at Brancepeth colliery, Willington and its railway links to the West Durham Railway. Newfield is a very small village on the hill to the south east of the bridge.

("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Pay Bridge)

References

• Pay Bridge: Bridge On The Tyne

Bridges and crossings on the River Wear
Witton Park Ford	Newton Cap Bridge	Newton Cap Viaduct	Pay Bridge	Jubilee Bridge	Page Bank Bridge	Croxdale Viaduct