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Corgarff Youth Hostel, Allt Damh Burn, Bridge
Ford (Period Unassigned), Road Bridge (Period Unassigned)
Site Name Corgarff Youth Hostel, Allt Damh Burn, Bridge
Classification Ford (Period Unassigned), Road Bridge (Period Unassigned)
Alternative Name(s) Delachuper, Military Bridge; Ford
Canmore ID 73378
Site Number NJ20NE 9
NGR NJ 27154 07555
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/73378
- Council Aberdeenshire
- Parish Strathdon
- Former Region Grampian
- Former District Gordon
- Former County Aberdeenshire
At Delachuper, the remains of a road bridge, which once formed part of the Coupar Angus to Fort George military road, are still visible. The structure is now ruinous, with only the north end of its single span remaining.
The bridge was built of rubble, and some of the larger stones from the structure now lie in the water, forming a crossing-place.
Military roads were built throughout highland Scotland in the eighteenth century, to allow the movement of Hanoverian troops. The building programme was begun by Major General George Wade, and continued by Major William Caulfeild.
Text prepared by RCAHMS as part of the Accessing Scotland's Past project
NJ20NE 9 27154 07555
See also NJ20NE 8, NJ20NE 10, NJ20NE 11.
This military bridge is on the line of the Coupar Angus - Fort George road. It is in a bad state of repair (see NJ20NE 10 and NJ20NE 11 ).
Visited by OS (RB) September 1966.
This 18th-century military bridge is now in a ruinous condition, with only the N half of the single-span arch surviving. This arch measures 6.1m in width and 2.4m in height and, at the level of the roadway, the masonry survives to a greatest breadth of 1.85m. The NW the bank of the stream is much higher than on the SE, where the approach to the bridge is raised on a grass-grown ramp some 3.3m in breadth at road-level.
Visited by RCAHMS (JRS, ATW), 17 March 1998.
This bridge carries the former line of the A939 public road over the Allt Damh.
Information from RCAHMS (RJCM), 9 December 1998.
Coping stones in the burn are in use as a ford.
NMRS, MS/712/41.
Scheduled as 'Bridge on Old Military Road over Allt Damh Burn... on the line of the Old Military Road connecting Coupar Angus to Fort George'.
Information from Historic Scotland, scheduling document dated 4 March 2002.
Specialist Report (1997 - 2000)
Delavine, Tornahaish and Allt Damh are small masonry arch bridges built by General George Wade’s successor in Scotland, Major General Edward Caulfield in 1753 after ‘Bonnie’ Prince Charlie’s military campaign against the Hanoverian Crown halted at Derby and finally ended in defeat and massacre of his troops in a battle at Culloden Moor, near Inverness, in 1746. The bridges are three of the many masonry structures which were built along the vast network of military roads covering the Scottish Highlands in order to make it accessible for military control and trade purposes.
These three bridges are situated along part of the military road (Braemar to Grantown upon Spey) now an Estate track, which was not absorbed into the public roads system and lay neglected for many years. One had collapsed over three quarters of its width, another had lost three quarters of one abutment and had partially collapsed, and another remained in good condition but in need of consolidation.
Each bridge was researched, surveyed and assessed in terms of structural conservation (they are Scheduled Monuments) and proposals for their preservation, as consolidated and stable ruins, were approved by Historic Scotland’s Ancient Monuments Branch.
Work commenced in 1997 after a worryingly prolonged period of shoring and emergency works to prevent collapse of the most seriously threatened structure at Delavine.
The work to all three bridges was completed in October 2000 after three summers of working in Highland terrain and weather conditions. It was funded by: Historic Scotland, The Heritage Lottery Fund, Historic Scotland, European Regional Development Fund, Leader II, Aberdeenshire Council, Gordon Enterprise Trust and Landfill Funds donated by a local company, McIntosh (Aberdeen) Ltd. The project cost was £250,000.00, which was initiated and organised by the Client, Gordon Enterprise Trust, Inverurie, Aberdeenshire. The Trust has the three bridges in care, having leased them from Candacraig Estate for 99 years.
John D Addison, Peter Stephen & Partners
Daniela Dobrescu-Parr, The Morrison Partnership
