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Summary

Description

Building began circa 1431, but much rebuilt and altered. Bridge comprising 6 - originally 9 - arches over River Nith. 1619

flood demolished 5 arches, these rebuilt (doubtless on 15th

century piers or footings) 1620-21. Frequently repaired, eg

Gilbert Smith, 1725; parapets rebuilt. 3 eastmost arches

demolished in first half of 19th century as part of Whitesands

land reclamation scheme. Built of coursed red sandstone,

arches with ashlar voussoirs with chamfered edges and unribbed

soffits, pointed cutwaters splayed inwards below level of

arch crowns, central cutwaters carried upwards as pedestrian

refuges and mark site of former "port" (toll-gate), demolished

1769 to lessen weight on pier (there had previously been

2 ports). Eastmost half of bridge is fairly regular on plan

with parapets set at lower level (eastmost arch is slightly

wider, steps at truncated E end; westmost half of bridge is

irregular on plan), suggesting earlier building date,

particularly at pointed westmost arch; abutments and parapets

splayed towards N, perhaps to allow for possible defence.

Statement of Special Interest

Scheduled Monument. Replaces earlier (?timber) bridge, usually attributed to Devorgilla Baliol, foundress of Sweetheart

Abbey in late 13th century. Diary of Wm Grierson (copy in

Ewart library) notes (p. 147) on 27th Oct 1794 "This day the

Arch of the old bridge was taken down to open the road to

the New Bridge,..."; but some early 19th century illustrations

show 9 arches, and Gough in 1806 counted 9 arches (Edgar,

p. 158n). Dickie agrees that one arch was removed 1794,

adding that the last arch was removed in 1825. Before the

New (Buccleuch St) bridge was built, Alexander Stevens

produced in 1791 a design for widening this bridge (see

Edgar, p. 158n, quoting TCM). Pemberton, in his Journal,

1723, remarks on this "....fair stone bridge of 13 large

arches, the finest I saw in Britain next to London and

Rochester...."; MacDowall, however, shows (Guide to Dumfries)

1885, 3rd ed, pp. 66-8) that so far back as 1681 there were

still only 9 arches. Excavations by James Barbour failed to

find evidence of a 10th arch.

References

Bibliography

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