"Two miles below Hesleyside is the small market town of Bellingham,; its general aspect is only moderately busy, but since the middle of the sixteenth century it has been known as providing a market for the people of Norty Tynedale."
The Tyne And Its Tributaries. W J Palmer. 1882
This bridge is a handsome stone structure on the B6320 road just south of the town. There may have been a bridge here in medieval times but the present bridge, by John Green replaced two separate fords. There was a toll at one time and the toll house still exists. The bridge completed the link in a new road between Hexham and Bellingham built in the mid-eighteenth century. Formerly an area of ironstone and coal mining with an ironworks and cokeworks nearby, the town has long been known for its annual Agricultural Show. By walking a mile or so the waterfall of Hareshaw Linn can be reached. Less than two miles away the important tributary of the River Rede joins the North Tyne at Redesmouth.