Tongland Bridge

Tongland Bridge

Tongland Bridge is often described as one of Telford's best bridges, and it is certainly on of the most unusual. The River Dee sits in a deep valley here, requiring a very high bridge over the water. The difficulties of finding suitable foundations in the riverbed led to Telford constructing a single large arch over the river itself, flanked by three very tall, narrow flood arches on either side, looking like lancet windows in Gothic Architecture. Between them, semi-circular cutwaters rise from the river edge to give pedestrian refuges at each corner, with the whole of the parapet being castellated across the main arch.

Today the bridge carries the A711 south into Kirkcudbright, and is just about wide enough to carry narrow pavements either side of the S2 roadway. At the north end of the bridge, the A711 curves round to the right at a T junction, with the A762 turning off to the left.

Old Tongland Bridge

Old Tongland Bridge

A short distance up stream in the village of Tongland, an older bridge dating from 1737 also spans the Dee, and carries a minor road. This two-arch bridge has been partially rebuilt over the years, with evidence that the abutments and central pier have been strengthened with additional stonework apparently encasing the older structure on the downstream side. This may simply have been to provide support for the narrow footway which has been slightly cantilevered out over the edge of the original bridge, with the parapet moved out.