Publication Account

Date 1997

Event ID 1019168

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Publication Account

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1019168

One of the most important events in the history of Dunblane was the building of the bridge over the River Allan figure 8 in the early fifteenth century, on the instruction of Bishop Finlay Dermoch (1406-19). The original single arched bridge of yellow dressed stone was 12ft wide and approximately 42ft in length (3.6m x 12.9m) prior to its reconstruction in 1734. It is unclear whether the suburb of Bridgend was in existence before the building of this bridge, but this would prove to be a stimulus to settlement, being on an important routeway (seep 18). In 1849, the south end was widened with red stone. In 1927, a modern girder bridge with balustraded parapets was imposed on the original structure. Traces of the original structure can still be seen in the later fabric. The result of these works may have been to destroy all traces of the nether port, which stood on the bridge, probably at the east end.

Information from ‘Historic Dunblane: The Archaeological Implications of Development’ (1997).