Auldgirth Bridge Explained

55.1594°N -3.7097°W

Auldgirth Bridge
Carries:Footpath (formerly A76 road, bypassed in 1979)
Crosses:River Nith
Heritage:Category A listed building
Material:Red sandstone ashlar
Length:200feet
Width:25.7feet
Number Spans:3
Architect:David Henderson of Edinburgh
Complete:1782
Opening:-->
Mapframe:yes

Auldgirth Bridge is a bridge over the River Nith just outside Auldgirth in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. Designed by David Henderson of Edinburgh in 1781, it was built by William Stewart, and completed in 1782; Thomas Carlyle's father worked on its construction. The bridge is made of red sandstone ashlar, with three segmental arched spans, and carried road traffic and pedestrians; refuges are built into the parapets, supported by pilasters on the piers, allowing pedestrians using the bridge to move out of the path of heavier traffic. Its total length is 200feet. Each of its three spans is 56feet wide, and its roadway, which is level, measures 25.7feet from one parapet to the other.

The bridge was built to carry the main road from Auldgirth (which became the A76) south over the river. It was designated a Category A listed building in 1971. In 1979, a new road bridge was completed a short distance away and the course of the road was altered, bypassing Auldgirth Bridge. It remains in use as a footbridge.

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