Stirling Old Bridge is a stone bridge which crosses the
River Forth
The River Forth is a major river in central Scotland, long, which drains into the North Sea on the east coast of the country. Its drainage basin covers much of Stirlingshire in Scotland's Central Belt. The Gaelic name for the upper reach of ...
. For over 300 years it provided the lowest crossing point of the Forth and so had strategic importance.
History
The stone bridge was constructed on rubble foundations around 1500
and replaced earlier wooden bridges, including that on which the
Battle of Stirling Bridge was fought.
The bridge originally had arches at either end and a defensive gate at the end nearer the burgh. Tolls were levied on goods being taken across the bridge.
In December 1745
General Blakeney,
lieutenant governor
A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...
of
Stirling Castle, had one of the bridge arches destroyed to hinder the movement of the
Jacobite Army.
The destroyed arch was rebuilt in 1749.
In May 1833 the adjacent new road bridge was opened to traffic and the Old Bridge was closed to wheeled traffic.
The bridge was designated as a
Category A Listed Building
Category, plural categories, may refer to:
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in 1965.
References
External links
{{Commons category, Stirling Old Bridge
Listed bridges in Scotland
Category A listed buildings in Stirling (council area)