It was considered one of the wonders of the industrial age, and was described by Nikolaus Pevsner as being 'a triumph of the new metallurgy and engineering ingenuity [...] of superb elegance'.

[1] The bridge was instigated, sponsored and patented by Rowland Burdon, the Member of Parliament for County Durham, and built under the direction of Thomas Wilson, who designed its architectural features.

[3] The decision to use cast iron was strongly influenced by Thomas Paine, who had constructed a demonstration cast iron span of comparable length in Paddington in 1789, and had submitted models and designs for Wearmouth.

In 1805 the bridge had to be repaired after heat from the sun caused some of the cross tubes to fall out.

[8] From 1857 to 1859 it was reconstructed by Robert Stephenson, who stripped the bridge back to its six iron ribs and levelled the roadway by raising the abutments.