Old Bridge, Dumfries, Dumfries, Dumfries and Galloway

Entry Name: Old Bridge, Dumfries

Listing Name: Whitesands, Devorgilla Bridge

Listing Date: 11 July 1961

Category: A

Source: Historic Scotland

Source ID: 362981

Historic Scotland Designation Reference: LB26354

Building Class: Cultural

Also known as: Devorgilla Bridge
Devorguilla's Bridge

ID on this website: 200362981

Location: Dumfries

County: Dumfries and Galloway

Town: Dumfries

Electoral Ward: Nith

Traditional County: Dumfriesshire

Tagged with: Bridge Road bridge

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 Interest

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.

External Links

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