Accessibility

Font Size

100% 150% 200%

Background Colour

Default Contrast
Close Reset

Montrose, New Bridge

Road Bridge (Period Unassigned)

Site Name Montrose, New Bridge

Classification Road Bridge (Period Unassigned)

Alternative Name(s) Montrose Bridge; River South Esk; Montrose Basin; Ferryden; Temporary Bridge

Canmore ID 36270

Site Number NO75NW 547

NGR NO 70985 57214

NGR Description NO 71028 57317 to NO 70945 57121

Datum OSGB36 - NGR

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/36270

Ordnance Survey licence number AC0000807262. All rights reserved.
Canmore Disclaimer. © Copyright and database right 2024.

Toggle Aerial | View on large map

Digital Images

Administrative Areas

  • Council Angus
  • Parish Montrose
  • Former Region Tayside
  • Former District Angus
  • Former County Angus

Archaeology Notes

NNO75NW 574 71028 57317 to 70945 57121

New Bridge [NAT]

OS 1:10,000 map, 1984.

Formerly entered as NO75NW 55.01 at cited location NO 7093 5712 to NO 7102 5732.

For predecessor (suspension) bridge, see NO75NW 55.00.

NMRS REFERENCE

Engineers: Crouch & Hogg 1925 - design for new bridge

EXTERNAL REFERENCE

Scottish Records Office

Plans: RHP 5915 Crouch & Hogg 1925 - plan & section (engraved).

(Undated) information in NMRS.

(Location cited [incorrectly] as NO 700 572). Montrose Bridge, built 1928-30, engineer Sir E Owen Williams. An unusual reinforced-concrete cantilever bridge, with a central 216ft (65.8m) span and a 108ft (32.9m) approach apan on each side, replacing a celebrated suspension bridge (NO75NW 55.00).

J R Hume 1977.

This bridge carries the A92 public road over the River South Esk between Montrose and Ferryden, and at the entrance to Montrose Basin. The entirety of its structure falls within the parish of Montrose.

Information from RCAHMS (RJCM), 27 September 2000.

Montrose New Bridge was completed to the design of Sir E Owen Williams in 1930, replacing an earlier suspension bridge (NO75NW 55.00), and carries the A92 road over the mouth of the Montrose Basin. The bridge is an unusual reinforced-concrete cantilevered structure with a central span of 65.8 metres, and approach spans of 32.9 metres on either side. Elements of the earlier bridge appear to have been incorporated into the masonry of the S abutment of the bridge. At the time of survey in 2003, internal decay within the concrete was continuing to cause problems, and there were plans to replace the bridge.

Information from RCAHMS (MKO), 2002.

Bridge removed in 2004, and replaced with temporary structure. New bridge under construction in 2005.

Information from RCAHMS (MKO), April 2005.

(Location amended to NO 70985 57214: central location).

Information from RCAHMS (RJCM), 20 April 2006.

A replacement superstructure has been built on two new river piers. It comprises a concrete deck (rising to the midpoint from both sides) set on deep steel beams.

Information from RCAHMS (MKO), 16 June 2006.

Activities

Publication Account (2007)

This was the third bridge to cross the River South Esk at this site. Built in 1931 and replaced in 2004, this double-balanced cantilever with a suspended span was designed by Sir Owen Williams, and the contractor was Sir Robert McAlpine and Sons Ltd. The bridge had a central span of 216 ft and side spans of 108 ft. Reinforced concrete was used as the construction medium, an inappropriate material for usein the upper chords of the bridge structure which were subject to tensile forces. This bridge fell prey to alkali agreggate reactivity causing massive cracking. Its slender steel replacement, with slightly curved beams spanning

131 ft, 216 ft and 131 ft, for which Balfour Beatty were the engineers, was completed in 2005.

R Paxton and J Shipway 2007b

Reproduced from 'Civil Engineering heritage: Scotland - Highlands and Islands' with kind permission of Thomas Telford Publishers.

Publication Account (2013)

Road: 1828 suspension bridge by Captain Samuel Brown, his longest span at 432ft. In 1930 Sir E Owen Williams completed a replacement in homage to it: a double cantilever bridge of 216 ft main span constructed in reinforced concrete that echoed the form of the previous suspension bridge. This design led to controversy across the Atlantic: “it is regrettable that a freak structure of inappropriate design should have been allowed to succeed the previous 100-year old suspension bridge” (D B Steinmann). Its successor by Balfour Beatty is again shorter in span than the first bridge (look under the beams for the rounded piers of Brown’s bridge).

Railway: a curving brick arched viaduct crosses the road and Rossie Island leading on to a multispan bowstring girder viaduct on concrete filled piers across the channel. This was built in 1881-3 by Sir Wm Arrol contractors to designs by W R Galbraith

M Watson, 2013

Note (8 July 2014)

Since 1795, there has been a sequence of four road bridges over the River South Esk at the entrance to the Montrose Basin. The earliest documented bridge (NO75NW 607) was built in 1796 and replaced in 1828 by a Suspension Bridge (NO75NW 55.00). This bridge was, in turn, replaced by a concrete bridge (NO75NW 547), designed by Owen Williams, in 1931. Following the discovery of internal decay within the concrete structure, the bridge was closed in 2004 and replaced with a temporary structure whilst a new bridge (NO75NW 607) was being built on the original site.

Information from RCAHMS (PMcK) 8 July 2014

References

MyCanmore Image Contributions


Contribute an Image

MyCanmore Text Contributions