Skippers Bridge

Skippers Bridge over the Esk to the south of Langholm

Skippers Bridge carries the A7 across the River Esk to the south of Langholm. It was built at the very end of the 17th century, completed in 1700 and comprises two large and one small stone arches. The smaller arch is on the west bank of the river, but only the central arch seems to span the river. Although records seem to conflict to some extent, the bridge appears to have been widened on the upstream side at the beginning of the 19th Century, probably by Thomas Telford in 1806/7. However, even so it only carries single file traffic, with traffic lights at either end to control the traffic, despite being on a trunk road.