hoisted their flags mast-high on the occasion, and the church bells of the two towns rung many a merry peal in honour of the royal visit... Pursuant to a request issued by the Mayor, most of the shops were closed about 11 o’clock, and the manufacturers were desired by our worthy chief magistrate "not to produce smoke between that hour and one," with which we believe, they generally complied... At precisely twenty minutes past twelve, the royal carriage appeared in sight, and when it reached the Spital, a splendid locomotive, built by the celebrated house of Stephenson and Co., gaily decorated and bearing on its front "God save the Queen" surmounted by a crown, and a suitable inscription encircling the boiler, was attached to the train. It then slowly proceeded to the centre of the colossal fabric, amidst bursts of loud and rapturous cheering from the assembled thousands, her Majesty repeatedly acknowledging these marked demonstrations of loyalty and affection from her faithful and attached subjects. The Mayors of Newcastle and Gateshead presented a formal address. The queen travelled in the royal carriage belonging to the London and North Western Railway. In other carriages were members of her Majesty’s suite and the directors of the York, Newcastle, and Berwick Railway. The engine drawing the royal train was under the direction of Mr T. E. Harrison, the resident engineer, and driven by Mr Thos. Carr... After staying altogether from five to ten minutes, the train was again put in motion, and amidst firing of artillery and rapturous plaudits from the dense throng, proceeded en route to Darlington. The bridge and its immediate approaches had cost £243,000. Road usage The road deck was opened in 1850. The company charged tolls on use of the road crossing; a pedestrian paid a halfpenny, and the crossing was open from 5am until 6pm, although from June 1871 24-hour access was made available. About 1880, a horse bus service was operated across the bridge; the fare was a halfpenny, the same as the pedestrian toll; the bus operator paid a toll of 4d. Addyman considers that road vehicle toll income was less than might have been expected (£2,000 in 1853), and attributes this to the success of suburban passenger railway business. In the twentieth-century street passenger tramways built up in Newcastle and Gateshead, and in 1920 agreement was reached to connect the two systems by running across