Riccarton Old Bridge

Heritage listing

Category B Date Added 03/07/1980 Local Authority East Ayrshire Planning Authority East Ayrshire Burgh Kilmarnock NGR NS 42786 36564 Coordinates 242786, 636564 — Date stone 1723. 3-span semicircular arched bridge. Coursed and partially tooled sandstone ashlar, squared rubble and later tarmac roadway and paved pedestrian way. Later utility pipes to outer elevations of parapets. E & W (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATIONS: 3-span bridge with ashlar voussoirs and depressed arch rings. Central arch slightly wider; triangular cut waters adjoining piers and abutments with battered caps; squared rubble spandrels; parapet with chamfered coping leading to slightly advanced moulded wing walls. Much later utility pipes bracketed to outer elevations of parapets, upper pipe to W elevation partially boxed in by timber. — One of a few surviving structures in the former village of Riccarton, which was once separated from Kilmarnock by the old bridge. It crosses the River Irvine, which marked the boundary between Cunninghame and Kyle. It is said some of the first carts in Ayrshire were used to carry the stone for this bridge. Before the bridge was built, there was a row of stepping stones to the east of the bridge. These remained in use by some and were marked on maps well into the 19th century. A tollhouse was sited to the south of the bridge, adjacent to a public house built with stone from Riccarton Auld Kirk. A new bridge was built in 1839 to take an increase in traffic from the then booming and growing town of Kilmarnock. A new tollhouse was erected to the north of the river where the bridges almost converge. In front of this was a trough for horses. The bridge remained in use as an access for Riccarton, the "new" bridge being used by traffic on the old Kilmarnock to Ayr route. Both bridges were t

From Historic Environment Scotland under OGL v3.