Description

Late 18th century. Semicircular arched, single span rustic bridge over River South Esk. Unhewn stones set randomly to encourage growth of moss and ferns; rubble arch ring; rubble coping; splayed wing walls; rusticated terminal piers with polished caps. Latin inscription to panel to centre of W elevation.

Statement of Interest

The gardens at Arniston began with a large walled garden which was part of the original house of circa 1620. No major changes occurred until William Adam was taken on, under Robert Dundas 3rd Lord Arniston (1685-1753), in 1726. In addition to designing the house he was also responsible for the layout of the grounds. Adam's arrangement (which seems to have been carried out to the south) mixed the formal with the informal, and comprised a bastioned parterre, wilderness, great avenue, cascade and basin. From the 1750?s there was long period of improvement, principally involving the informalising of the grounds. John Adam, who continued with work on the house and grounds where his father had stopped, was responsible for some of the changes. By 1764 the parterre and cascade had gone. In 1791 Thomas White designed an improvement plan for the Arniston grounds, little of this was actually carried out, but the gardens did become more informal towards the beginning of the 19th century. The Wild Garden, where many rustic bridges can be found (see Borthwick Parish List for individual entries), was established some time after the 1760?s. The Wild Garden is separated from the house by steeply sloping parkland, and runs either side of Purvies Hill Burn with various garden ornaments and bridges. The burn continues westwards, towards the rustic Grotto (see separate list description in Borthwick Parish), the path, which runs along its banks, winding through woodland, over the many moss covered rustic bridges. This particular bridge is very similar to Rustic Bridge No 5 over River South Esk (see separate list description in Borthwick Parish) also part of Arniston Policies. A sketch which closely resembles both bridges survives in the SRO (RHP 5248/1). The Latin inscription, which is now obscured, is possibly from Horace.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17828954

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

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  The green guide for historic buildings: how to improve the environmental performance of listed and historic buildings
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  Maintaining and Repairing Old Houses: A Guide to Conservation, Sustainability and Economy
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  London 3: North West: North West v. 3 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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