Civil Engineering heritage: Scotland - Highlands and Islands

Date 2007

Event ID 881875

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Publication Account

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/881875

This historic cast- and wrought-iron arch bridge, 9 ft wide and with a clear span of 35 ft carrying an estate road over the Dighty, dates from the early decades of the 19th century ca.1804 or soon afterwards which, if confirmed, would make it Scotland’s earliest surviving iron bridge. The designer and maker are now unknown, but the structure’s origins are almost certainly Dundonian. The circles in its spandrels were probably influenced by the elevation of Sunderland Bridge (1796). The bridge was a bold effort for its time with hand-crafted, substantially unique ironwork, including transverse trusses carrying intermediate bearers supporting timber deck beams.

The crude strengthening of the bridge for farm use last century with deep timber beams from the crown to heightened abutments has resulted in the roadway on the north being lifted above the balustrades. The original elevation is shown dotted on the parapet line in the elevation. The land arch may have been for a mill lade.

The bridge is now closed because of its poor state but is worthy of being preserved. Its main members appear to be intact. Fortunately, after expressions of interest in conserving the bridge by the Dundee Civic Trust, Broughty Ferry Community Council and others, with support from PHEW [Panel for Historic Engineering Works], the Dundee City Council has now made its conservation a condition of planning consent for adjoining residential development and hopefully the bridge will soon be authentically restored to its former glory.

R Paxton and J Shipway 2007b

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