The River Flows

Had a Sunday drive today and came to a very interesting spot. I had a strong feeling that the river was flowing the "wrong" way.

On my return home I looked at a map and found that in essence I was right. The Tees has many loops and the bridge (above) sits on one of them with the river flowing East to West before it loops back on it's Eastward journey towards the sea. the bridge looks obviously like a combination of new and old with a steel top with seemingly older stonework piers. The road I was on is a back road connecting Yarm to Darlington, although a very convoluted farm track.

Looking at the bridge above pictured above, on the right hand side of the river bank (Yarm side) there is an atmospheric gate, long disused and chained and padlocked. I planned to climb it and explore the other side but the track was obviously many years into disuse and almost non-existent.

This is apparently a place with some history and I found this reference on the web giving a possible reason for the gate and some perspective on the bridge.

"The old manor house, which occupies a low and sheltered
situation near the river, now serves as a farmhouse; and its thick walls, heavy
beams and rafters, and low apartments, render it an interesting relic of "the
days that are over." A stone, inserted in the wall, on the left side of the
door, bears the arms of the Place family. There was formerly a gatehouse on the
south; but the only defences were an outer fosse or moat. There are four other
farms in the parish, a corn-mill on the Tees, and a productive salmon fishery.
Over Dinsdale, in Yorkshire, is approached by a wooden bridge, supported by two
substantial stone piers in the river, and one on each bank."
[From History, Topography and Directory of Durham, Whellan , London, 1894]

More info here