Scheduled Maintenance
Please be advised that this website will undergo scheduled maintenance on the following dates: •
Tuesday 3rd December 11:00-15:00
During these times, some services may be temporarily unavailable. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.
Civil Engineering heritage: Scotland - Lowlands and Borders
Date 2007
Event ID 588942
Category Descriptive Accounts
Type Publication Account
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/588942
Mertoun Bridge to the east of St Boswells, a five-arched brown sandstone structure, carries the B6404 road over the Tweed. Each arch is of 70 ft span that, with a rise of only 6 ft, presents a remarkably shallow curvature. The arch ring joints radiate to the parapet stringer course. As originally constructed in 1839–41 by William Smith of Montrose there were three timber rib-beams made up from five laminations of 12 in. by 6 in. timber bound with iron straps. This appears to have been adopted as a medium-term measure by the ingenious James Slight of Edinburgh who allowed in his substructure details for the present masonry arches to be built when required. It is not known whether the original timber arches were utilised as falsework.
R Paxton and J Shipway 2007
Reproduced from Civil engineering heritage: Scotland - Lowlands and Borders' with kind permission from Thomas Telford Publishers.
