Canonmills Bridge

Canonmills Bridge carries the B901 in Edinburgh across the Water of Leith.

The original bridge was a single arch built in 1766-67. It was designed by William Mylne, a master mason, architect, and civil engineer, who also designed the Yair Bridge over the River Tweed and built the original North Bridge in Edinburgh in 1769 - which unfortunately collapsed shortly before completion. This bridge fared slightly better, lasting until it was demolished in 1840. The replacement, comprising 3 arches, was built in 1840. It was widened in 1897 by Mr Proudfoot, the City Road Surveyor.

Canonmills was a medieval settlement, used by monks at Holyrood Abbey for a mill, hence its name. Today the bridge lies in a busy neighbourhood surrounded by shops and bars. The south approach to the bridge contains a row of low buildings used as a restaurant and for retail; their exact date is unclear but they precede the 1853 OS mapping. There was a plan in the early 2010s to demolish these and replace them with flats, but this seems to have been rejected.