Dalnamein Bridge

There are three bridges at Dalnamein, an old arch attributed to General Wade, a substantial concrete structure by Owen Williams and a modern bridge carrying the A9.

The New Bridge

The new bridge has the simplest structure of the three - a featureless deck supported on two rows of four columns. A cattle creep allows access underneath. It is, however, much wider than the earlier structure, but with no character whatsoever. Many motorists probably don't even notice the bridge they're crossing - and just how few look sideways at the old structures alongside?

Owen Williams' Bridge

Owen Williams' Dalnamein Bridge

Now partially closed to traffic, the Dalnamein Bridge is not very inspiring when seen from the road. The most prominent feature is the keystone on the parapet, which is similar to some on the Glasgow and Edinburgh Road. The roadbed on the north side of the bridge has been cut down to reveal the concrete bridge deck. Some of the reinforcement has been exposed. The parapets are built of concrete blocks, but there's a lot more going on here than can be seen from the road. A giveaway is the thickness of the base of the parapet.

Looking at the outside of the parapet, the slopes and angles are quite distinctive - and the simple rectangular slots on the inside face have become channels running down three courses of blockwork. As we come down from the bridge, the structure becomes visible - the deck is supported on columns which are carried on enormous arches. The bridge crosses the river at an angle, and the two arches are offset to match. The two identical arches are each perpendicular, but offset by several feet.

The columns carrying the deck are matched up to those on the other arch by ribs running at an angle across the underside of the bridge deck. The tops of the columns splay out to prevent them punching through the deck. The old A9 here is used as part of the National Cycle Network. The road is marked as a dead end for all except cyclists.

Wade's Bridge

The oldest bridge at Dalnamein

The third bridge at Dalnamein is considerably older than the other two. The site and some of the structure is attributed to General Wade, although it is not certain how much survives of his bridge. There's a milestone on the corner by the trees, but no longer readable.

The bridge itself is a single stone arch across the river, with substantial buttressing which is seen on other bridges attributed to Wade in the area. The abutments stand on the bedrock of the river bed and rise shear to the arch with no obvious change in the stonework, suggesting it was all built in one go. However, it is believed that the bridge has been repaired or rebuilt at some point in the distant past.

Links

• David D Miller's site on Owen Williams Bridges