bridge 300m W of Burnside

Heritage listing

Date Added 20/03/2007 Type Secular: bridge Local Authority Highland Parish Ardclach NGR NH 94376 40240 Coordinates 294376, 840240 — The monument is a military-road bridge, surviving as upstanding structural remains, which once spanned Tomlachlan Burn to the W of Burnside. The bridge, a single span constructed in stone, is now disused. It is isolated in a pasture field, the river having changed its course and the modern road passing close by to the N, on a slightly modified route to the original path of Wade's road. The bridge measures 25m in length, surviving to a height of 4.6m. The voussoir and soffit of the bridge are complete, although little of the parapet and upper spandrels remain. There is evidence of alteration on the E edge of the bridge, and the revetting of the SW wall of the bridge has been merged into the modern bridge revetting. The bridge was part of a section of the Corgarff to Fort George military road that was built following a recommendation in a memorial on the state of the Highlands presented to George I in 1724 by Lord Lovat. Following inspection of the area by Major-General George Wade later that year, Wade advocated the re-establishment of Highland companies, the construction of a number of forts, and the provision of a boat on Loch Ness. The construction of a network of roads to enable rapid troop movement was an essential concomitant of this proposal. Wade was soon afterwards appointed Commander-in-Chief of North Britain, and the first of the network of roads was being built in 1725. By 1809 the road was showing signs of decay, and the Commissioners for Highland Roads and Bridges said it had been constructed 'without regard to the rugged nature of the country', following which there was extensive reconstruction. The area to be scheduled is irr

From Historic Environment Scotland under OGL v3.