The Bridge of Oich (also known as Victoria Bridge, Aberchalder) is a
taper principle suspension bridge, designed by
James Dredge, across the
River Oich
The River Oich is a short river that flows through the Great Glen in Scotland. It carries water from Loch Oich (to the SW) to Loch Ness (to the NE) and runs in parallel to a section of the Caledonian Canal for the whole of its length. The Great G ...
near
Aberchalder
Aberchalder (Gaelic: ''Obar Chaladair'') is a small settlement and estate at the northern end of Loch Oich in the Scottish Highlands and is in the Highland council area of Scotland. It lies on the A82 road and is situated in two parishes, Boles ...
in
Highland, Scotland. The bridge opened in 1854 and was used to take the main road traffic over the river until 1932.
Overview
The bridge was designed by
James Dredge, an engineer from England.
Dredge used his patented '
taper principle' design for the bridge. The bridge uses a
double cantilever system where two opposing cantilevers are supported by suspension chains giving it the appearance of a classic
suspension bridge
A suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck (bridge), deck is hung below suspension wire rope, cables on vertical suspenders. The first modern examples of this type of bridge were built in the early 1800s. Simple suspension bridg ...
.
The span of the bridge is and the two main chains are apart. Each of the main chains is made from a series of wrought-iron eye-rods varying in length from to and with a nominal diameter of . The main chains hang over high granite towers and one end of each chain is anchored to the bridge at mid-span and the other ends are anchored below ground inland of the bridge. The chains consist of twelve parallel rods at the tower and progressively reduce in width by one link at each joint towards each end of the chains as they get further from the towers. The decking is of timber, supported on trussed wrought-iron transoms.
History
In 1849 an old stone bridge that spanned the River Oich near
Aberchalder
Aberchalder (Gaelic: ''Obar Chaladair'') is a small settlement and estate at the northern end of Loch Oich in the Scottish Highlands and is in the Highland council area of Scotland. It lies on the A82 road and is situated in two parishes, Boles ...
was destroyed by flooding.
To reduce the risk of a new bridge being damaged by similar flooding, it was decided that a single-span bridge was required to replace the old bridge. English engineer
James Dredge was engaged to provide such a bridge. Dredge used his patented '
taper principle' for the bridge which was opened in 1854.
Dredge's bridge carried the main road traffic across the River Oich until the construction of a two-lane concrete bridge in 1932. Following its withdrawal from service, the bridge fell into disrepair and had to be closed to public use. The bridge, which is now a
listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
, was renovated for
Historic Scotland
Historic Scotland ( gd, Alba Aosmhor) was an executive agency of the Scottish Office and later the Scottish Government from 1991 to 2015, responsible for safeguarding Scotland's built heritage, and promoting its understanding and enjoyment. ...
in 1997, and returned to use as a public footbridge.
Images
Bridge of Oich - deck from the SE.jpg, The timber deck
Bridge of Oich - from the SE.jpg, The chains reducing in width
Bridge of Oich - geograph.org.uk - 889985.jpg, The towers
See also
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References
External links
{{Official website, https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/bridge-of-oich
Bridges in Highland (council area)
Bridges by James Dredge
Listed bridges in Scotland
Bridges completed in 1854
1854 establishments in Scotland