Bishopmill Bridge

Bishopmill Bridge carries the A941 across the River Lossie to the north of Elgin city centre. The road currently runs a little to the west of the old alignment, making use of the new bridge.

The Old Bridge

The Old Bishopmill Bridge before demolition

Sitting on the now pedestrian Bridge Street, the older Bishopmill Bridge was constructed in 1873. It replaced an earlier structure which was constructed in 1830 following the floods of the year before. It appears that this original bridge was only 15 years old at the time, having been constructed in 1814! However, despite these floods the older Brewery Bridge further down stream has stood since 1800!

The structure itself was an Iron Girder bridge with elegant parapets crossing between stone abutments in two spans. The central piers were a pair of iron legs, with bracing also set in concrete on the river bed. In 2015 the deck and central piers were demolished and replaced by narrower and slightly arched single span pedestrian/cycle bridge using the same abutments; this was part of a major flood alleviation scheme and was presumably done to remove an obstruction in the river bed as well as increasing clearance.

The New Bridge

The new bridge

The modern bridge follows in its predecessor's footsteps in that it is also of girder construction, albeit this time constructed from steel. The bridge slopes down gently from north to south, with angled legs supporting the girders on the northern bank. A riverbank footpath passes underneath it. Constructed in 1988, the new bridge provided space for car parking for the civic buildings of Lossie Wynd and the recreational area of Cooper Park.