Tilt Bridge, Blair Atholl
A sweetener for the Duke of Atholl who was not attracted by the idea of the railway crossing his estates, this lattice girder bridge is suitably enhanced with turrets and crenellations. It is listed Grade B.
Region:
Red Wheel Site:
Transport Mode(s):
Address:
Railway Station, PH18 5SL
Postcode:
Visitor Centre:
Website:
Visit website
The railway northward from Perth was built by the Inverness & Perth Junction Railway whose engineer was Joseph Mitchell (1803-1883). He was the son of the Chief Inspector who worked for Telford on the great road building programme in the highlands, and succeeded his father before turning to railways. In a remarkably short time this 104 mile line between Dunkeld and Forres over difficult terrain was constructed in a mere two years and opened in 1863. As was the case on the Inverness & Nairn, Mitchell designed some impressive bridges and viaducts.
At Blair Atholl where the valley broadens out to form a flat plain (a ‘˜blair'), the Duke of Atholl, whose land it was, needed to be persuaded to accept the railway crossing his land. Accordingly the station plans were approved by him and the bridge over the river Tilt built by Mitchell for the railway was suitably ornamented. It has a single wrought iron lattice span of 46 m. (150 ft.) and at either end, not only twin crenellated turrets with mock arrow slits but a Gothic arch between them.
By Road: It is a short distance south of the station and is best approached on foot from the B 8079 which runs parallel to the railway and also crosses the river Tilt. The river separates Blair Atholl from the village of Bridge of Tilt.
Biddle, Gordon, Britain's Historic Railway Buildings, Oxford University Press, ISBN-10: 0198662475 (2003)
Biddle, Gordon & Nock, O.S., The Railway Heritage of Britain : 150 years of railway architecture and engineering, Studio Editions, ISBN-10: 1851705953 (1990)
Biddle, Gordon and Simmons, J. The Oxford Companion to British Railway History. ISBN 0 19 211697 5 (1997)
Conolly, W. Philip, British Railways Pre-Grouping Atlas And Gazetteer, Ian Allan Publishing, ISBN 0-7110-0320-3 (1958/97)
Nelson, G. Highland Bridges. (1990)
Ross, David. The Highland Railway. ISBN 0 7524 3479 9 (2005)
Smith, Martin. British Railway Bridges and Viaducts. ISBN 0 7110 2273 9 (1994)
Thomas, J. and Turnock,D. A Regional History of the Railways of Britain, North of Scotland. ISBN 0 946537 03 8 (1993)
Forgotten Relics - Listed Bridges and Viaducts