[1][2][3] The idea of linking Newcastle upon Tyne on England's east coast with Carlisle on the west dates back to at least the 1770s, when proposals were tabled for a canal.

The structure, including the parapet, is 33 metres (108 feet) above the summer height of the River Eden, wide enough to carry two tracks, and has a total length of 280 metres (920 feet) The bridge is faced with red sandstone from Newbiggin Quarry near Carlisle and filled with sandstone rubble from Wetheral and Corby Beck Quarries.

[1][2][5][6] At the western end of the parapets is a plaque on each side, one in English and one in Latin, which reads "In testimony of respect for their late colleague Henry Howard Esq., who, on 25 March 1830, laid the foundation stone of this bridge, the directors of the railway place this tablet.

[1][7] The footbridge was added to the north face in 1851[1] to provide a route across the river for pedestrians and deter them from trespassing on track bed.

Initially, a half-penny toll was charged, having risen to a penny by the time the station closed in 1956 (train services resumed in 1981).

Its list entry describes it as "a major and early railway viaduct, forming an important landscape feature in an area of outstanding natural beauty".