Carrbridge Packhorse Bridge, also known as Coffin Bridge, is a bridge in the village of

Carrbridge Carrbridge (, ) is a village in Badenoch and Strathspey in the Scottish Highlands. It lies off the A9 on the A938, west of Skye of Curr and southeast of Tomatin, near Bogroy. It has the oldest stone bridge in the Highlands and the nearby a ...

in the Highlands of Scotland. The bridge was built in 1717 to allow funeral processions to reach Duthil Church by crossing the River Dulnain. The parapets were washed away in the 19th century. In 1971 the bridge became a

Category B listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

. It has become a popular tourist attraction.

History

The

packhorse bridge A packhorse bridge is a bridge intended to carry packhorses (horses loaded with sidebags or panniers) across a river or stream. Typically a packhorse bridge consists of one or more narrow (one horse wide) masonry arches, and has low Parapet#Bridg ...

was constructed to allow funerals to proceed across the River Dulnain to Duthil Church. Brigadier-General Alexander Grant commissioned the bridge. Stonemason John Niccelsone constructed the bridge at Lynne of Dalrachney and the £100 cost was paid for out of stipends of Duthil Church. The bridge was completed in 1717 and floods in the 1829 Muckle Spate washed away the guard rails. The bridge also provided a way for tradesmen and locals to cross the river. It is the

Scottish Highlands The Highlands (; , ) is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Scottish Lowlands, Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Scots language, Lowland Scots language replaced Scottish Gae ...

' oldest known stone bridge. It was listed as a

scheduled monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage, visu ...

on 29 December 1958 and subsequently de-scheduled on 5 April 2016. The bridge became a

on 5 October 1971.

Description

The bridge at the village of Carrbridge is a popular tourist attraction and is located in the

Cairngorms The Cairngorms () are a mountain range in the eastern Scottish Highlands, Highlands of Scotland closely associated with the mountain Cairn Gorm. The Cairngorms became part of Scotland's second national parks of Scotland, national park (the Cairn ...

mountain area of Scotland. It has also been described as the coffin bridge. All that exists today is a slender arch across the River Dulnain. The width of the bridge between the missing side rails is . It is described in the Category B listing as a "High single span humpback rubble bridge; tooled rubble arch ring springing from natural rock abutment; neither surfacing nor parapet survive."

Gallery

File:Old Packhorse Bridge, Carrbridge, viewing area.jpg, Viewing area File:Old Packhorse Bridge.jpg, The bridge at dusk File:Carr Bridge (39490429585).jpg, The bridge in autumn File:Old Packhorse Bridge plaque - geograph.org.uk - 1547404.jpg, Old Packhorse Bridge plaque

References

External links

{{commons category, Carrbridge packhorse bridge
YouTube – Remarkable Old Bridge in Carrbridge in the Highlands of Scotland-Still standing todayYouTube – The river Dulnain in spate, Carrbridge
1717 establishments in Great Britain Arch bridges in the United Kingdom Bridges completed in 1717 Bridges in Scotland Category B listed buildings in Scotland Packhorse bridges Stone bridges in Scotland Carrbridge

History

Description

Gallery

See also

References

External links