The Tees Newport Bridge in Middlesbrough is one of the oldest lifting bridges in the UK, built in 1933, or, as I refer to it… the ‘metal monster’.
Image credit: My Town, My Future
When I was a child the area of the bridge was always synonymous with the giant waste incinerator plant that was home next door. The incinerator’s access roads curled round and underneath the bridge itself and headed up raised concrete ramps allowing you to drive your car straight inside the belly of the giant beast. It always fascinated and repulsed me in equal measures. Peering out from the car window (I was never allowed out) you could see the most enormous stinking pit of rubbish off the concrete precipice edge and a giant metal claw dragging huge handfuls of rubbish into the centre of the glowing wall of fiery blaze.
Even by the area’s industrial heritage the site was an eyesore and it was demolished just before the turn of the millennium.
I wanted to capture how the bridge looks as it approaches its centenary and the turn of a new decade. In more recent years it has been refurbished with major renewal on much of the steelwork and paintwork, restoring the bridge back to its original colours (grey and red) and a new LED light system installed. The local council can now alter the lighting scheme as it wishes.
Each Christmas it is lit up with the colours of the rainbow and the colours ripple down the bridge gently. The top of the bridge remains lit a bright blue.
The Shots
Showreel
Extra Info
Stockton Council’s Festival Lighting programme is agreed annually and runs January – December. It includes lighting of the Riverside, Newport Bridge and Town Centre lighting columns / fountain lights. These are the upcoming dates for 2020.
https://www.stockton.gov.uk/
| Date | Event | Colour(s) |
| January 27 | Holocaust Memorial Day | Purple |
| February | LGBT History Month | Multi |
| February 4 | World Cancer Day | Orange |
| February 24 – March 7 | Fairtrade Fortnight | Blue/Green |
| March 8 | International Women’s Day | White/Purple/Green |
| March 28 | Earth Hour (8.30pm-9.30pm) | Switched off |
| April 2 | Autism Acceptance Day | Gold |
| April 23 | St George’s Day | Red/White |
| April 29 – May 5 | Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week | TBC |
| May 11 – 17 | National Dementia Action Week | Purple |
| June 1-7 | National Volunteering Week | Red/Purple |
| June 8 – 14 | National Carers Week | Blue |
| June 27 | Armed Forces Day | Red/White/Blue |
| September 4 | World Sexual Health Awareness Day | TBC |
| October 1 | Stoptober | Red |
| October 9-15 | Baby Loss Awareness Week | Pink/Blue |
| October 10 | World Mental Health Day | Purple |
| October 16 | Show Racism the Red Card | Red |
| November 11 | Remembrance Day | Red |
| November 14 | World Diabetes Day | Blue |
| November 25 | International Day of Elimination of Violence against Women | Orange |