Bridge, River Braan, Amulree, Strathtay, Perth and Kinross

Description

The bridge is an early 18th century military bridge crossing the River Braan. It has two main arches spanning the Brann with an additional flood relief arch to the south. The bridge is located immediately west of the A822 road which it once carried until a replacement road bridge was constructed in 2010. It is constructed in rubble masonry with roughly worked voussoirs forming the arches. The two main arches meet in the middle of the river with and have pointed cutwaters. The level carriageway is surfaced with parapets surviving on either side of the carriageway. The rubble parapets have sections of concrete replacement and repair. There are other repairs in concrete including to the northern main arch and flood relief arch. The bridge has rubble masonry and concrete buttresses on its west site.

Historical Development

There was an estimated total of 1700km of military road built in Scotland (approximately 400km by General Wade and 1300km by Major Caulfeild) between the early 1720s and the late 1750s.

The first programmes of work started in 1725 Under Wade's command, Repairs were made to various fortifications including Edinburgh Castle and at Fort William and new forts were built at Inverness (Fort George) and Killihuimen (Fort Augustus). Road communications and connections were improved between the garrisons at Fort William, Fort Augustus and Fort George. The roads programme then focused on expanding the network between Dunkeld and Inverness (later known as 'The Great North Road') with branches connecting Crieff to the Great North Road at Dalnacardoch (later known as 'The Second Great North Road') and Fort Augustus to the Great North Road at Dalwhinnie. The second major programme of works was overseen by Wade's successor, Major William Caulfeild, with branches constructed, from 1741 onwards, between: Crieff and Stirling, an incomplete build between Dumbarton and Inverary, Stirling to Fort William, Coupar Angus to Fort George, and Amulree to Dunkeld.

This bridge relates to the Creiff to Aberfeldy section of road. It was likely constructed between 1725 and 1740. The bridge is likely to have had phases of alteration, the small flood arch might be later than the two arched bridge. The bridge may have been historically widened and parapets added. It is likely to have ceased to have been used as bridge when the more recent bridge on the A822 was constructed to the east of Amulree.

Statement of Interest

The Amulree Bridge meets the criteria of special architectural or historic interest for the following reasons:

The design is characteristic of military bridge construction of the period and it is a particularly large-scale and complex example for a Major General George Wade period military bridge. It may have been later wideneded and altered possibly by Major William Caufeild.

The remote nature of its setting has largely been retained. Forming part of a wider network of 18th century military infrastructure, the grouping is also of special interest.

Although surviving examples of 18th century bridges are not particularly rare in Scotland, the bridge is important as it is a largely unaltered example of its date and type and forms part of a larger military network that has had a lasting impact on both the culture and physical landscape of the Scottish Highlands.

The bridge is of social historical interest, as the large-scale military building programme under which it was built, had a significant impact on Highland culture. The network also tells us about the wider political and military situation in Scotland in the mid 18th century, during the period of the Jacobite Risings.

The bridge and the wider network of routes has close historical associations with people and events of national importance. The military road building programme had very significant political and social impacts on the Highlands of Scotland during the 18th century. The roads and bridges are directly associated with Major General George Wade and Major William Caulfeild, who oversaw the planning and construction of the network.

Architectural Interest

Design

The bridge has the characteristic design of military bridges built as part of the early 18th century road building programme under Major General Wade. These bridges were designed to be built quickly, usually by soldiers of various British Army regiments or contracted groups of local men. They were built using locally available materials and often the same formwork was reused for efficiency. They were specifically designed to accommodate heavy loads including troops, horses and wagons. Their functional purpose is reflected in their relatively plain design, which features no decorative stonework or embellishments. This was typical of stone-built bridges of the period.

This bridge is a well-preserved, large-scale example of a Wade bridge, with later historic additions, showing the typical rounded single arch span structure and constructed from locally sourced stone. It formed part of a much wider network of military roads and bridges. The fabric and plan form are relatively unchanged. It is estimated that 940 bridges were constructed as part of this network, however, the majority of these have been extensively altered or are of less interest in terms of their design and scale.

Age and Rarity

Although surviving examples of 18th century bridges are not particularly rare in Scotland, the bridge is important as it is a largely unaltered example of its date and type and is a large example of a bridge built by Wade, It also forms part of a larger military network that has had a lasting impact on both the culture and physical landscape of the Scottish Highlands. The survival of this bridge compliments other elements of the wider road network in this area, notably the line of the military road immediately to the north. The relationship between these elements add to the special interest of this bridge.

Social historical interest

The bridge is of social historical interest, as the large-scale military building programme under which it was built, had a significant impact on Highland culture. As a result of the 1715 Jacobite rising, the government saw the discontent towards the Hanoverian rule and began to impose control by constructing town and city garrisons and building permanent barracks.

After Culloden, Caulfeild's road building programme continued in a much larger scale to further assert Hanoverian control in Scotland. Some 15,000 government troops were stationed in Scotland and Caulfeild was assigned engineers and large numbers of men to work on the roads. This increase in control of the Highlands is linked to the period of severe Government repression after Culloden which saw Highland culture repressed and the clan system dismantled.

Association with people or events of national importance

The bridge has close historical associations with people of national importance. In 1724, General Wade was instructed to "narrowly inspect the situation of the Highlands" (Salmond, 42). In same year, Wade reported back to the King and was thereafter appointed as Commander of Forces in Northern Britain. He was succeeded in 1739 by Major William Caulfeild, who was appointed Inspector of Roads. Caulfeild had previously worked under Wade as a young officer and was then appointed Inspector of Roads.

Further association with these roads is indicated in their use by Bonnie Prince Charlie and during the Jacobite forces during the uprising of 1745. Wade's roads into the Highlands were utilised by the government forces but also had the unseen consequence of allowing the Jacobite army to move quickly into the Lowlands. When moving back into the Highlands in 1746, Bonnie Prince Charlie sent his troops on the Crieff to Dalnacardoch road and sent the artillery along the easier Dunkeld to Inverness road. Both the Jacobite and British forces continued to use the Great North Road and Second Great North Road until defeat of the Jacobite forces at Culloden in April 1746.

Statutory address, category of listing and listed building record revised in 2021. Previously listed as 'Amulree Bridge'.

External Links

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