Bannockburn Bridge
has a span of 24 ft is of unusual character. According to Southey it was designed by Telford, whose solution for preventing inward earth-pressure movement of the tall abutments by means of curved masonry struts is almost playful, but nevertheless effective.
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Address:
New Road,
Bannockburn
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The bridge was being built when it was visited by Telford and Southey in 1819. Southey wrote "A new road is making near Stirling [at Bannockburn] with a bridge which is one of Mr Telford’s works and has a huge circle over the single arch . . . the appearance is singular and striking."
The main arch is tall and narrow, and there were concerns that the weight of earth in the embankment would put undue pressure on the bridge abutments. The solution, therefore, was two place a series of braces below the main arch to hold the two abutments apart.
The braces take the form of 3 stone beams, arched below and with inverted arches above which form a circle with the main arch at the top. It give the impression of a later addition to prevent collapse, but they were integral to the original design. The bridge has, however, been adapted over the years, and the iron beam on the outside of the bridge was part of a widening of the structure when the road was improved around a century later.
Easily accessible through Ladywell Park along the river bank, the bridge is well worth a visit, as it sports an intriguing set of bracing below the tall main arch, reminiscent of the more famous Scissor Arches in Wells Cathedral. The river lies deep below the general lie of the land here, which caused Telford to build an embankment across the valley, leading to the bridge.
Photos credits: Photo © Richard Dorrell (cc-by-sa/2.0); No machine-readable author provided. Finlay McWalter assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0 <http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/>, via Wikimedia Commons
carries the A9 road 40 ft over the Bannock Burn about two miles south-east of Stirling, To view the Bridge, one has to descend through Ladywell Park
Civil Engineering Heritage Scotland – Lowlands and Borders
6. Stirling, Perthshire and Kinross, and Clackmannanshire
Authors:
Roland Paxton , and Jim Shipway
https://doi.org/10.1680/cehs.34877.0006
Published Online: July 07, 2015
© The authors and Institution of Civil Engineers 2007