Selkirk Bridge

Looking across the bridge

The town of Selkirk largely sits on the hill on the south side of the River Ettrick but drops down to the south bank where an industrial area sits. There is only one road bridge across the river in the town, the Selkirk Bridge carrying the A707 from the town centre to the Bannerfield suburb, from where the A708 heads west up the Ettrick Valley. The town is built on the hill because the river has a habit of flooding, most recently in 1977 when it washed away the 18th Century bridge.

The current bridge has stood since 1981 and is a twin-span concrete structure, with one span across the normal river channel and another over the south bank for floodwater. The spans are unusual, arching up from the central pier and tapering off to the abutments. This is presumably designed to minimise the risk of damage should another major flood occur.

The Old Bridges

The predecessor to the modern bridge, which was swept away in 1977, dated originally from 1778, and was widened in 1881. It was a 4 stone arch bridge spanning the river, with all three piers in the river bed. There also appears to have been another old bridge a little further downstream, originally built in 1738 and washed away in 1777. This seems to have been sited next to Yarrow Mill, where Bridge Street and South Bridge Street remain to this day.