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Melville Castle, Iron Footbridge
Footbridge (19th Century)
Site Name Melville Castle, Iron Footbridge
Classification Footbridge (19th Century)
Alternative Name(s) Melville Castle Policies; River North Esk
Canmore ID 53420
Site Number NT36NW 111
NGR NT 31251 67030
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/53420
- Council Midlothian
- Parish Lasswade
- Former Region Lothian
- Former District Midlothian
- Former County Midlothian
NT36NW 111 31251 67030
Not to be confused with South Driveway Bridge to the W of Melville Castle (at NT 30779 66729), for which see NT36NW 246. [Both these estate bridges are of iron construction].
See also:
NT36NW 74 NT 30922 66894 Coach-house and stables
NT36NW 78.00 NT 31030 66981 Melville Castle
NT36NW 246 NT 30779 66729 Footbridge
FB [NAT]
OS 1:10,000 map, 1978.
The available map evidence indicates that this bridge carries a footpath across the River North Esk to the E of Melville Castle (NT36NW 78.00).
Information from RCAHMS (RJCM), 26 April 2006.
This bridge has been removed.
Information from Prof. R Paxton, 15 May 2006.
Construction (1820)
Possibly designed by Robert Stevenson around 1820. Smaller version of bridge at Cramond known to be by him.
Destruction (2005)
Removed
Project (2007)
This project was undertaken to input site information listed in 'Civil engineering heritage: Scotland - Lowlands and Borders' by R Paxton and J Shipway, 2007.
Publication Account (2007)
This bridge, recently removed, was half a mile downstream from NT36SW and was of trussed girder construction spanning 54 ft between sandstone masonry abutments. Its width was 6 ft with a timber deck carried on three slightly arched T-section ribs carrying a timber deck. The rib ends were connected by iron tie-rods 112 in. in diameter with three small strut spacers supporting the T-sections. A curious feature was the sockets for the handrailing cast integral with the T-section beams top flange. This bridge probably resulted from John Neil’s estimate to ‘furnish and fit up’ for £128 including scaffolding. Wm. Paterson offered to do the abutment mason work for £42 6s 612d. This design, presumably by Robert Stevenson, was a small scale development of his underspanned tension rod suspension bridge proposed for Cramond in 1820.
R Paxton and J Shipway 2007
Reproduced from 'Civil Engineering heritage: Scotland - Lowlands and Borders' with kind permission of Thomas Telford Publishers.
