The new 22m Gateshead Millennium Bridge is the talk of the Tyne, but it is just the latest in a series of stunning structures which have helped give the North its worldwide reputation for engineering brilliance.
Experts say the region boasts some of the most fascinating and original constructions in the world.
Newcastle s most famous landmark, the Tyne Bridge, served as a model for the much larger Sydney Harbour Bridge. When it opened over 70 years ago it was the largest single-span bridge in the world. Newcastle s Swing Bridge is the lowest of the Tyne s six bridges, and when it opened in 1876 it was the largest of its type in the world. It was designed by the Tyneside engineer William Armstrong and featured a hydraulically-operated swivel mechanism. This allowed taller, fixed-mast vessels to get far further upstream.