CAISTRON BRIDGE

"This pleasant village stands uon the north bank of the river Coquet, and was formerly the property of three gentlemen, all of the name of Hall, to distinguish whom they were denominated Duke, Lord, and Lawyer; a descendant of the first bequeathed a certain sum (£6) to be paid annually out of his estate towards the support of a schoolmaster in the village"

Quoted in 'Upper Coquetdale'. David Dippie Dixon. 1903.

Caistron is a village no longer, but at the bottom of a track leading from the main B6341 is a sand and gravel quarry, operational since 1956, and across the river, a 50 acre lake, part of the Caistron Nature Reserve and a fishery in the lake. The quarry extracts material form the haugh on the south side which is hauled over the bridge by lorry to a plant on the north side from where it is taken away by road.

The bridge is a curious one being formed of large metal tubes laid onto the river bed with a roadway on top. This is a heavy duty construction to accommodate the weight of the quarry traffic crossing. It also provides access for fishermen via a metal footbridge alongside and attached to the road bridge. The nature reserve is formed from the wet pits remaining after sand and gravel extraction.

Caistron Bridge Facts

Constructed - not known
Type - beam, metal tubes laid into river bed.
Position: Caistron, Northumberland.
Grid Ref: NU 027 021

Caiston Bridge