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The bridge was designed and engineered by Charles A. Harrison, the Chief Civil Engineer of the North Eastern Railway, and built by the Cleveland Bridge & Engineering Company in Darlington between 1902 and 1906 Link Link

The bridge is not particularly elegant but functional, consisting of four lattice steel spans NZ2463 : Cross Country train crossing King Edward VII Bridge resting on concrete-filled caissons, used in the construction Link Link

The total length of the bridge is 1,150 feet (350 m) and 112 ft (34 m) above high water mark. It was built with the aid of the largest cableway in the world, 463.5m long, suspended 61m above high water made of 7.6cm diameter steel Link It carried over 23,000 tons of material. After the bridge was finished, the cable was sent to the Swan Hunter and Wigham Richardson shipyard, where it was used to launch the Mauritania.

Originally trains used the High Level Bridge to reach Newcastle Central Station and had to leave the station in the same direction they had entered from, which involved the tedious task of reversing.

The construction of the King Edward VII Bridge provided four more rail tracks NZ2463 : King Edward VII Bridge, and a direct line through the station enabling trains to enter or leave from either side and thus eased rail congestion NZ2463 : Cross Country train approaches Newcastle Central
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The bridge was opened by King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra on 10 July 1906. The total cost amounted to £500,000.

Wikipedia: Link
Tyne & Wear Museums: Archive Link
Bridges on the Tyne: Link Archive Link
SINE: Archive Link

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