Keith Old Bridge, also known as Keith Auld Brig, is a bridge over the River Isla in

Keith Keith may refer to: People and fictional characters * Keith (given name), includes a list of people and fictional characters * Keith (surname) * Keith (singer), American singer James Keefer (born 1949) * Baron Keith, a line of Scottish barons ...

Moray Moray () gd, Moireibh or ') is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It lies in the north-east of the country, with a coastline on the Moray Firth, and borders the council areas of Aberdeenshire and Highland. Between 1975 ...

, Scotland. Built in 1609, it is the oldest surviving dated bridge in Moray and is a

Category A listed building Category, plural categories, may refer to: Philosophy and general uses *Categorization, categories in cognitive science, information science and generally *Category of being *Categories (Aristotle), ''Categories'' (Aristotle) *Category (Kant) ...

Description

Keith Old Bridge is built of

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...

rubble Rubble is broken stone, of irregular size, shape and texture; undressed especially as a filling-in. Rubble naturally found in the soil is known also as 'brash' (compare cornbrash)."Rubble" def. 2., "Brash n. 2. def. 1. ''Oxford English Dictionary ...

, and spans the River Isla in a single

segmental arch A segmental arch is a type of arch with a circular arc of less than 180 degrees. It is sometimes also called a scheme arch. The segmental arch is one of the strongest arches because it is able to resist thrust. To prevent failure, a segmental arc ...

, linking the higher northern bank to the lower southern one, where it is widely splayed. On its eastern flank it bears a worn carving of the coats of arms of Thomas Moray and Janet Lindsay, and on the west there are date stones showing 1609, the year the bridge was built, and 1822, when repair work was carried out on it. Currently used only by pedestrian traffic, it is approximately 2.8 metres wide, with a span of 8.2 metres.

History

Keith Old Bridge, sometimes known as Keith Auld Brig, was built for the use of packhorses by Thomas Moray and Janet Lindsay, his wife. The couple lived close to the ford that had been in use prior to the bridge's construction, and they were distressed by the dangers involved in crossing it, so paid for a bridge to be built with their own savings. It was built in 1609, making it the oldest surviving dated bridge in Moray. It has been in constant use since that date, and underwent repairs in 1724, and again in 1822. Its role in carrying the main road across the River Isla ended in 1770 when the nearby Union Bridge was built, but it remained open for pedestrians, and stone steps were added at the southern end, probably in the twentieth century. The bridge was designated a

Category B 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 ...

in 1972, and upgraded to Category A in 1988.

References

{{Reflist Category A listed buildings in Moray Listed bridges in Scotland Packhorse bridges Footbridges Deck arch bridges Keith, Moray Bridges completed in the 1600s 1609 establishments in Scotland