Archaeology Notes
Event ID 686755
Category Descriptive Accounts
Type Archaeology Notes
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/686755
NO29SE 10 26210 94923
Not to be confused with (predecessor) Crathie Suspension Bridge (NO 26599 94252), for which see NO29SE 8.
For Balmoral Castle (NO 2550 9495) and related monuments, see NO29NE 15.00.
For adjacent (to SW) war memorial, see NO29SE 55.
(Location cited as NO 262 941 and name as Bridge, Crathie). Built 1856 by A Brotherhood, Chippenham, and aseembled on site 1857-8, engineer Isambard K Brunel. A single-span, wrought-iron, plate-girder bridge, slightly cambered on the approach road to Balmoral Castle. Possibly the earliest wrought-iron-girder bridge in Scotland.
J R Hume 1977.
(Name cited as Balmoral Bridge). This bridge is a wrought iron plate girder construction, probably the earliest in Scotland. The span of the two riveted girders is 129ft [39.3m], and the road (tarmac and pine planking) is 13ft [3.96m] wide. The girders are pierced with a simple diamond pattern in which rivets and plates are used effectively as part of the design. The granite abutments are set on rocks. Their footing caused problems and led to some of the delay. They are rustic ashlar for the most part with smooth dressed rectangular tops and parapet. The splayed approach wall has a most satisfying curved top. It has been suggested that the only other such bridge designed by Brunel was for the Bengal Rly.
G Nelson 1990.
(Name cited as Crathie Girder Bridge). This bridge was commissioned by Prince Albert and 'built like a battleship' by I K Brunel.
J Geddes 2001.
This bridge carries the A973 public road across the River Dee to the E of the Gate Lodge (NO29SE 27) and to the ESE of Bridge Lodge (NO29SE 28). It thus gives access to Balmoral Castle (NO29NE 15.00) through the policies to the E. The Balmoral estate war memorial (NO29SE 55) is situated immediately to the SW.
This bridge is depicted (but not noted) on the 1972 edition of the OS 1:10,000 map.
Information from RCAHMS (RJCM), 4 January 2006.
