Description

Dalreoch Bridge is a single arched bridge crossing the River Earn. It was built between 1931 and 1932 for the Ministry of Transport. It carries an unclassified road, formerly the A9, across the River Earn immediately west of Chapelbank.

The bridge is constructed of reinforced concrete. Four arched ribs support a series of square plan concrete columns. The pair of ribs under the roadway are thicker than the flanking ribs. The spandrels are pierced by three openings on each side and there are flood-relief tunnels in the abutments. The parapets flanking the flat carriageway and footway are heavily detailed in art deco style.

Historical development:

The bridge was built between 1931 and 1932 to replace an 18th century bridge (Old Dalreoch Bridge), which was formerly located a short distance downstream and was demolished in the late 1960s. It was built to carry the A9 route connecting Stirling and Perth across the River Earn, replacing the narrow older bridge with a bridge capable of carrying two carriageways and a greater volume of traffic.

Construction of the bridge began in 1931 and was hampered by severe flooding of the River Earn in June 1931, and again in November and December of that year. The bridge was opened to traffic in September / October 1932. When the A9 was upgraded to dual carriageway in the 1980s, it was re-aligned at Dalreoch and a new bridge built a short distance downstream. The Dalreoch bridge now carries an unclassified road.

Statement of Interest

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

• The design is characteristic of reinforced concrete road bridge construction of the period, and it is a particularly well-preserved example.
• The bridge includes some fine detail in the form of the prevailing Art Deco style on the parapets which serve no utilitarian purpose but increase the aesthetic appeal of the bridge.
• It is largely unaltered and retains much of its original 1930s character.
• The general setting of the bridge remains largely unaltered, and this contributes to our understanding of its historic context.
• The bridge is of social historical interest, as the road network and car culture it reflected has had a significant and lasting impact on Scottish culture.

Architectural interest

Design

The bridge is characteristic of the design of reinforced concrete bridges built on the primary Scottish road network in the late 1920s and early 1930s. It was designed as a replacement for the 18th century Dalreoch Bridge, carrying two carriageways and therefore more suitable for motorised traffic.

The bridge is built of reinforced concrete. The use of reinforced concrete for bridge building was introduced to the UK in the first decade of the 20th century. By the 1930s there were around 2000 reinforced concrete bridges in the UK. In Scotland, the expansion of the road infrastructure in the 1920s and 1930s provided an opportunity for pioneering reinforced concrete designs to be built, and a number were constructed along the A9. Although no designer can be identified for the Dalreoch Bridge, it is of similar design to some reinforced concrete bridges designed by Sir Owen Williams and built during the expansion of the A9 between Perth and Inverness in the 1920s.

One attraction of reinforced concrete was its ability to be cast into a variety of shapes. This allowed designers greater aesthetic expression without significantly increasing the cost of construction. Dalreoch Bridge includes some fine detail in the form of the prevailing Art Deco style on the parapets which serve to increase the aesthetic appeal of the bridge.

The bridge is a largely unaltered example of an early reinforced concrete bridge built as part of the road network in Scotland. It formed part of a much wider network of roads and bridges. The fabric and plan are relatively unaltered.

Setting

Located in Strathearn in Perth and Kinross, the bridge occupies an important location crossing the River Earn. It is positioned on a natural routeway running between Perth and Stirling and the importance of this location as a crossing is demonstrated by the fact that it is the second of three bridges built here. The structures around have remained largely unaltered since the bridge was built and the general setting of the bridge remains largely unaltered, although the 18th century bridge no longer survives. The setting of the bridge contributes to our understanding of its historic context.

Historic interest

Age and rarity

The bridge is an early example of a reinforced concrete road bridge and formed part of a programme of road infrastructure expansion and upgrade in the 1920s and 1930s. It is one of an estimated 35 reinforced concrete bridges built between 1930 and 1950 in Scotland, some of which have since been lost or extensively altered. Comparable examples include the Dalnamein Bridge (LB50911, built 1926-1928), Invergarry Bridge (LB6861, built 1932) and Aboyne Bridge (LB47060, built circa 1937). The bridge is therefore an important example of its type. It forms part of a larger road network that has had a lasting impact on the physical landscape of the Scottish Highlands. The survival of this bridge complements other elements of the wider road network in this area. The relationship between these elements adds to the special interest of this bridge.

Social historical interest

The bridge is of social historical interest, as the road network and car culture it reflected has had a significant and lasting impact on Scottish culture. The construction of the bridge reflects the increasing importance of car and bus travel during the 1920s and 1930s and the requirement for road infrastructure to better accommodate motorised vehicles. The development of the road infrastructure tells us about the wider social and political context of the car. This development of the road infrastructure provides the context for the construction of pioneering concrete bridge designs and for the development of this construction method.

Association with people or events of national importance

No associations have been identified with a person(s) or event of national importance.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing

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.

Recommended Books

• 
  Kent: West and the Weald: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Essex: Buildings of England Series (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Northamptonshire: Buildings of England Series (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Oxfordshire: North and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Warwickshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  [(Cumberland and Westmorland)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1967)