I'll always stop at an interesting bridge, especially one
with a story. This footbridge was built in 1905 to carry people over the burn
when the adjacent ford was flooded (as was certainly the case today) The bridge
was the idea of local shopkeeper David Lauder. Unfortunately at the opening ceremony
a large crowd gathered and surged onto the bridge causing it to collapsed
tipping them into the water, luckily with no deaths. The bridge was rebuilt
with three intermediate supports resulting in a rather odd looking hybrid. The
supports do give the bridge a sturdy feel when I crossed it. There seems to a
plan to replace the ford & footbridge. It would be a pity to lose such an interesting
landmark.
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| The bridge as built in 1905 |
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| Opening day collapse (sorry for the quality) |
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| The old ford upstream was also a no-no today |
Looks like a wet winter there. Would be a shame to lose such nice remnants of the past, especially since they are still functioning.
ReplyDeleteIt's not been that wet - this was a kind of flash flood due to heavy overnight rain.
ReplyDelete