Bridge of Don | |
---|---|
![]() The bridge in 2004 (fifth arch not visible) | |
Coordinates | 57°10′32″N2°05′26″W / 57.17548°N 2.09060°W |
Carries | A956 road |
Crosses | River Don |
Locale | Aberdeen, Scotland |
Preceded by | Brig o' Balgownie |
Characteristics | |
Material | Granite |
Width | 66 feet (20 m) |
Longest span | 75 feet (23 m) |
No. of spans | Five |
History | |
Construction start | 1827 |
Construction end | 1830 |
Listed Building – Category B | |
Designated | 12 January 1967 |
Reference no. | LB20069 |
Location | |
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Bridge of Don is a five-arch bridge of granite, built between 1827 and 1830, crossing the River Don just above its mouth in Aberdeen, Scotland.
In 1605 Alexander Hay executed a Charter of Mortification for the maintenance of the 13th century Brig o' Balgownie further upstream, which later became the Bridge of Don Fund, which financed several bridges in the north-east of Scotland. [1] [2] This fund having accumulated a value of over £20,000, the patrons of the fund, the town council, sought an Act of Parliament to permit construction of a new bridge in 1825. [3]
The original design by John Gibb and John Smith was modified by Thomas Telford, and construction work started in 1827. [4] Problems with the foundations meant it had to be partly taken down and have additional piles sunk. [4] It was opened free to the public with no toll in 1830 and later gave its name to the suburb of the city on the north bank. [3] [4] [5]
It was listed as a Category B listed building in 1967. [4] [6]
The bridge has five spans of dressed granite, and rounded cutwaters that carry up to road level to form pedestrian refuges. [4] The spans are 75 feet (23 m), with a rise of 25 feet (7.6 m). [4]
It was widened in 1958-59, from 24 feet (7.3 m), to 66 feet (20 m) by the construction of a new concrete bridge adjacent to the old one. [4] [7]
It now carries four lanes of the A956 road, and is the last bridge on the River Don before it meets the North Sea. [4] [8] The bridge is just downstream from a substantial island in the river. [8] Around the area of the bridge is the Donmouth Local Nature Reserve, designated as a LNR in 1992. [9] Near to the bridge are a number of World War II era coastal defences, including a pill box. [10]
The Brig o' Balgownie is a 13th-century bridge spanning the River Don in Old Aberdeen, Scotland.
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