Civil Engineering heritage: Scotland - Lowlands and Borders
Date 2007
Event ID 609878
Category Descriptive Accounts
Type Publication Account
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/609878
This strategically and historically significant bridge over the Forth at Stirling is at or near the site of a timber
bridge which was destroyed in the battle of 1297. The bridge, which probably replaced a ferry, is of coursed
masonry (Ballengiech stone) of good quality and workmanship, and possibly dates from as early as the 15th
century.
It is a tall and handsome structure, with four nearly semicircular arch spans of 38 ft, 55 ft, 56 ft and 48 ft from
south to north; the span sizes being determined by the foundation conditions, often the case with mediaeval
bridges. The bridge piers are 14 ft 9 in. thick and there is a slight bend in the line of the bridge of about 2 ft which may also be due to foundation conditions. The roadway, which is 13 ft wide between parapets, is now restricted to pedestrian use.
R Paxton and J Shipway 2007
Reproduced from 'Civil Engineering heritage: Scotland - Lowlands and Borders' with kind permission from Thomas Telford Publishers.
