Old Bridge Of Douglas, Claonairigh

Photographic survey of buildings on the Inveraray Castle Estate and in and around Inveraray, Argyll by the Scottish National Buildings Record in 1962

This bridge, which probably dates from the early 18th century, carries a footpath across the rocky gorge of the Douglas Water 70m N of Claonairigh farmhouse and 180m E of the modern bridge carrying the A83 road from Inveraray to Lochgilphead. Roy's Map of about 1750 shows a road crossing the river and running along the S bank of the Allt Garbh (en.1), but in 1768 it was represented to the Commissioners of Supply that the Bridge of Douglas was 'difficult of access and very narrow' and that it was impossible to bring a cart or carriage across it. Funds were allocated for a new bridge, completed in 1771, which was associated with the re-routing of the Lochgilphead road along the N side of the valley via Auchindrain (en.2). This bridge, or its successor, lay immediately W of the modern one, and was demolished about 1984. The old bridge was known, because of its almost semicircular-arch, as the 'Roman Bridge’ (en.3).

The overall length of the bridge and approaches is 26m, and the N approach curves down the adjacent hillside. The bridge is rubble-built, with a ring of slab-voussoirs, and the arch, which springs on each bank from rock at a height of about 2.8m above water-level, has a span of 9m and a height above water of 6.4m, the level roadway being 1m higher. The roadway is only 2.1m in width, within parapets 0.5m thick and 0.6m high which have been partially demolished.

RCAHMS 1992, visited June 1988

RCAHMS surveyed the Old Bridge of Douglas, Claonairigh on 21 March 1989 producing a plan and west elevation at a scale of 1:100. The plan and elevation were redrawn in ink and published at a scale of 1:250 (RCAHMS 1992, 511).