Telford's Bridge at Tongland

Today's the day ..................…… for good design

This bridge over the River Dee was built between 1804 and 1808, to the design of the famous Scottish civil engineer, Thomas Telford.

The initial phase of building had been a catastrophe.  The foundations had been washed away - and new contractors had to start again.  This is when Thomas Telford was called in and he drew up plans for this bridge as it stands today.  Its design is remarkable in two ways - for its rather grand appearance and for its innovatory technique. 

Its picturesque castellated style was a result of Telford commissioning the landscape artist Alexander Nasmyth  to embellish his basic design.  Telford's own major input was to streamline bridge construction by substituting weight-saving hollow-ribbing for solid masonry within the structure.  The main span is flanked by three narrow, pointed, flood-relief arches on each side.

And it is testament to its initial design that it is still in use today, more than 200 years later, carrying the A711 over the River Dee to its junction with the A762.