Dunans Bridge
| Dunans Bridge | |
| Argyllshire | |
|---|---|
 The Central arch of Dunans Bridge | |
| Location | |
| Crossing: | River Ruel |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | NS04049126 |
| Location: | 56°4’26"N, 5°9’0"W |
| Structure | |
| History | |
| Built 1815 | |
| Architect: | Thomas Telford |
| Information | |
Dunans Bridge is a bridge over the River Ruel by Dunans Castle on the Cowal Peninsula of Argyllshire.
The bridge was designed by Thomas Telford for John Fletcher of Dunans to commemorate the Battle of Waterloo. The bridge was completed in 1815, and predates the 1864 elaboration of Dunans House by Kerr into a Franco-Baronial "castle".
The three-arched rubble construction is considered internationally important as it is the only extant bridge of this type. It stands over 50 feet from the river bed. It was built to replace the now destroyed "swing bridge". Though it is of a kind often constructed by Telford, the three arches, gargoyles and eight hexagonal piers, as well as its sheer height (52 feet), make it unique.
The bridge is a Category A listed structure.[1]
The structure is in the "At Risk" category on the Buildings at Risk Register. The 2008 inspection indicated: "there is significant vegetation growth on and around the structure and the buttress caps have been damaged by cement repairs."[2]
 |
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Dunans Bridge) |
References
- ↑ Dunans Bridge (Category A) - Listing detail (Historic Environment Scotland)
- ↑ "Dunans Bridge, SCT Ref No 3689, Argyll and Bute". Buildingsatrisk.org.uk. Archived from the original on 2011-09-28. https://web.archive.org/web/20110928084449/http://www.buildingsatrisk.org.uk/BAR/detail.aspx?sctID=3689®ion=Aberdeenshire&div=&class=ALL&category=AT+RISK&Page=1&NumImg=5. Retrieved 2011-11-05.
