Description

Circa 1861. Single-span road bridge over burn in deep ravine within policies of Brodick Castle. Round arch with rusticated voissoirs. Curved carriageway. Hammer dressed pink sandstone, abutments and parapets. Ashlar pilasters and intrados. Saddleback-coped parapets.

Statement of Interest

Part of A Group at Brodick Castle Estate comprising: Brodick Castle; Bavarian Summerhouse; Cnocan Burn Road Bridge; Greenhyde and Castle Cottages; Ice House; Walled Garden; the Nursery; Main Gates, West Gates and Coastal Boundary Walls; South Gates; Sylvania and Brodick Kennels.

An important component of the Brodick Castle Estate, the bridge appears to have been built as part of the scheme to open up the western policies of Brodick Castle, which also involved removal of old cottages and the old Brodick Village, and the creation of scenic woodland walks commissioned by the 11th Duke of Hamilton. The bridge, of Roman influence, spans the burn on the drive leading from South Gate, on the western approach to the castle, and the curve on the carriageway creates a dramatic effect as the route changes from northbound to eastbound and the vista towards the Castle opens up. Clearly more than simply a utilitarian structure, it was also intended to provide a romantic spectacle on a riverside walk through Cnocan Glen that passes several dramatic waterfalls. Brodick Castle Estate is included in the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes.

The designer of the bridge is not known, although the architect, William Burn, and the landscape gardener, W A Nesfield, were both engaged by the estate at this time. There is no evidence for a proposed attribution to Thomas Telford.

Brodick Castle Estate, now a discreet entity, was originally the nucleus of the Lands of Arran. Fought over during the Scottish War of Independence, it was transformed into an Earldom and granted to James Hamilton by his cousin, King James IV, in 1503. The Isle of Arran remained as one of the minor estates of the Dukes of Hamilton until the late 19th century. Agricultural improvements in the 18th century, culminating in the clearances of the early 19th century, eventually displaced the small scale and subsistence farming on the island. In the mid-19th, improved transportation made Brodick an attractive picturesque resort and hunting destination for the Hamiltons and the castle was substantially rebuilt with the area around it laid out as gardens and pleasure grounds. On the death of the 12th Duke, in 1895, Brodick passed to the future Duchess of Montrose. In 1957 the Castle and the policies immediately surrounding were conveyed to the National Trust for Scotland.

List description revised as part of the National Trust for Scotland Estates Review, 2010-11.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17830067

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.

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