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Yarm Bridge crossing the River Tees

Landmark in Yarm

Yarm Bridge

Yarm Bridge is a Grade II* listed stone road bridge carrying the A67 across the River Tees, connecting Yarm to Eaglescliffe. Built around 1400 for Bishop Walter Skirlaw of Durham, it was for centuries the lowest bridging point on the entire river, and remains one of the best places in town to see Yarm Viaduct.

01

What is Yarm Bridge?

Yarm Bridge is a Grade II* listed stone road bridge built around 1400 for Bishop Walter Skirlaw of Durham, replacing an earlier wooden crossing from around 1200. For more than 300 years it was the lowest bridging point on the entire River Tees, meaning virtually all road traffic between Yorkshire and County Durham passed directly through Yarm until Stockton built its own bridge in 1771.

02

Where is the bridge in relation to Yarm?

Approaching from Yarm, the bridge lies beyond the lower end of the town-centre streets. Crossing the river takes you towards Eaglescliffe.

03

What should visitors expect?

The bridge carries live road traffic today and has survived a turbulent history: a drawbridge was built into its northern arch during the English Civil War in 1643, and a replacement iron bridge collapsed before it ever opened in 1806, leading the original stone bridge to be widened rather than demolished.

Use the provided pedestrian space, follow signs and take care around moving traffic.

04

What else is nearby?

It also happens to be the best vantage point in town for seeing Yarm Viaduct, a view the architectural historian Nikolaus Pevsner once described in print. Yarm Town Hall provides an orientation point on the High Street; Preston Park Museum and Grounds is across the river in Eaglescliffe.

Useful answers

Frequently asked questions

How old is Yarm Bridge?

The current stone bridge dates to around 1400, replacing an earlier wooden bridge from around 1200.

Is Yarm Bridge listed?

Yes, Grade II*, under National Heritage List entry 1105658, one grade above Yarm Viaduct.

Where is the best place to see Yarm Viaduct?

Yarm Bridge itself offers one of the closest and clearest views in town.

Sources and review status

Research checked . Final human approval is still required.

Sample record. This entry is unverified demonstration data used while the verified Yarm dataset is imported. Nothing here should be treated as fact. Last checked 2026-09-22.

More to see in Yarm

Yarm Viaduct

A Grade II listed Victorian railway viaduct carrying trains across the River Tees, visible from most of the town centre. It is a working railway structure with no public access, so the best views are from the streets and riverside below rather than the viaduct itself.

Yarm Town Hall

Yarm Town Hall stands at the centre of Yarm High Street, built in 1710 by Thomas Belasyse, 3rd Viscount Fauconberg, then lord of the manor. It is one of the town's oldest and most recognisable civic buildings and a natural landmark for orientation on a visit.

Preston Park Museum and Grounds

Preston Park Museum and Grounds is a museum and parkland attraction in Eaglescliffe, directly across the River Tees from Yarm. Its collection includes the Yarm helmet, a 10th-century Anglo-Scandinavian Viking Age helmet discovered in Yarm in the 1950s during pipe-trench works, and now recognised as only the second largely intact Viking Age helmet ever found in north-west Europe.