Canongate Bridge

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Canongate Bridge

Packhorse Bridge
The Canongate Bridge in Jedburgh - geograph.org.uk - 771829.jpg
View of the bridge looking downstream
Coordinates 55°28′41″N2°33′04″W / 55.477944°N 2.5511°W / 55.477944; -2.5511
CarriesPedestrian traffic
Crosses Jed Water
Locale Jedburgh
Characteristics
MaterialSandstone
Width3 m (9.8 ft)
No. of spans3
Piers in water2
Listed Building – Category A
Reference no.LB35471
Designated16 March 1971
Location
Canongate Bridge
Interactive map of Canongate Bridge

The Canongate Bridge is a pedestrian bridge in the Scottish Borders town of Jedburgh. It was built as the town's main bridge over the Jed Water in the 16th century. Since 1971 it has been a category A listed building. [1]

Contents

Description

The Canongate Bridge is a 16th-century stone three-arch bridge that was the original main access over the Jed Water into the town of Jedburgh. The crossing, which is built of local cream-coloured sandstone, has a roadway up to 3 m (9.8 ft) wide with refuges for pedestrians. [1] The bridge was said to be in desperate need of repair in 1677 and 1770; repairs took place in 1772. [1] 1770 [2]

The bridge, which is no longer open to road vehicles, is within the Jedburgh's conservation area and many of the surrounding buildings are listed. At one end is Duck Row and the Piper's House. [3]

Flooding

The Jed Water is liable to flood, so the river levels are monitored near the bridge. The depth is usually between 0.37 and 2.33 metres deep but it has been as deep as 3.5m which it reached in January 2016. [4] In 2020 there was a problem when the flood defences near the bridge were breached by debris in one storm just before another storm hit. Luckily repairs were made and serious flooding was avoided. [5]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "CANONGATE BRIDGE (LB35471)". portal.historicenvironment.scot. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
  2. Tancred, George (1899). The Annals of a Border Club. Jedburgh: T S Smail. p. 10.
  3. "Jedburgh, Duck Row, The Piper's House | Canmore". canmore.org.uk. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
  4. "Jed Water at Jedburgh: River level and flood alerts". riverlevels.uk. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
  5. "'Urgent' flood defence repairs successful". BBC News. 14 February 2020. Retrieved 22 March 2020.

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