Old Bridge Of Dee
Road Bridge (18th Century)
Site Name Old Bridge Of Dee
Classification Road Bridge (18th Century)
Alternative Name(s) Granny Ford; Granyford Bridge; River Dee; Boat Pool
Canmore ID 71275
Site Number NX75NW 29
NGR NX 73431 59958
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/71275
- Council Dumfries And Galloway
- Parish Kelton
- Former Region Dumfries And Galloway
- Former District Stewartry
- Former County Kirkcudbrightshire
NX75NW 29 73431 59961
Old Bridge of Dee [NAT]
OS 1:10,000 map, 1983.
For successor Threave Bridge (NX 7373 6033), see NX76SW 50.
The 'Old Bridge of Dee', formerly Granyford Bridge, was built between 1737 and 1740.
A D Anderson 1967.
(Location cited as NX 734 599). Old Bridge of Dee: four-arched stone bridge of whinstone and granite dating from the early 18th century, crosses the River Dee near Bridge of Dee village. Until 1825 this carried the main route through Galloway, but was replaced because of its narrowness and difficulty of access.
I Donnachie 1971.
(Location cited as NX 734 599). Old Bridge of Dee, early 18th century. A 4-span bridge with semicircular arches and triangular cutwaters.
J R Hume 1976.
Old Bridge of Dee, 1737. Previously known as Granny Ford bridge, this rubble-built four-archer is the best-preserved 18th century bridge in the are. Carriageway still perilously narrow, and escaped improvement thanks to the construction of Threave Bridge (NX76SW 50).
J R Hume 2000.
This bridge carries an unclassified public road across the River Dee to the SE of Bridge of Dee village (NX76SW 58). The river here forms the boundary between the parishes of Kelton (to the S) and Balmaghie (to the N).
The location assigned to this record defines the midpoint of the structure. The available map evidence indicates that it extends from NX c. 73421 59979 to NX c. 73451 59921.
Information from RCAHMS (RJCM), 15 March 2006.
Publication Account (2007)
This bridge, about two miles south-west of Castle Douglas, was built over the Dee from 1737–40 on the road from Carlisle to Portpatrick and was made use of by the military road in 1763. It is 11 ft wide between parapet faces and has four masonry arches each of 41 ft span. The rubble stonework is whinstone and granite. The cutwaters are pointed and the parapets corbelled at road level with squared granite copes.
Details of road construction in 1763 and toll road improvements following an act of 1797 on roads in the
locality, including a specification of 1798 for a road of 16 ft wide middle cross-section with a 12 in. depth of
gravel and drainage details, have been published. The bridge was bypassed by Threave Bridge in 1825, and the
grouting of joints and spandrel repairs were carried out in 1989.
In 1785, just before the military roads were handed over to the county authorities, there were 106 miles of such
roads and 73 bridges in Dumfries and Galloway.
R Paxton and J Shipway 2007
Reproduced from 'Civil Engineering heritage: Scotland - Lowlands and Borders' with kind permission from Thomas Telford Publishers.
