MHG12058 - Destroyed Footbridge - Sithean Mor
Summary
Flooding has almost totally destroyed this bridge and the remaining platform is now badly undercut.
Type and Period (1)
Protected Status
- None recorded
Full Description
(Location cited as NC 364 418). Suspension bridge, early 20th century. A three-span private footbridge, with wooden pylons and unstiffened deck type, wire-rope cables and rod suspenders. <1> <2>
A rapid coastal zone assessment survey was conducted by GUARD in the Autumn of 1997 commissioned by Historic Scotland from the Viking and Early Settlement Archaeological Research Project based at the University of Glasgow.
A concrete platform measuring 2.4 m by 0.92 m and standing 0.69 m high is set into steep E bank of the River Dionard. Of the two wooden posts that were set into this platform only one now survives. This has a 0.38 m diameter. This feature is marked "HM 1928". There is an concrete identical feature, measuring 2.4 m by 0.45 m and standing 0.35 m high, on the opposing bank which has been converted into a seat. These two concrete piers are all that remain of this bridge which was presumably destroyed by flooding. This has clearly happened since J R Hume's 1977 description of the bridge (Hume 1977, 105). A replacement was constructed in 1986 as evidenced by a nearby plaque, and No 30 (below) may be the remains of an earlier attempt at replacement. <3>
A concrete-and-boulder platform measuring 3.4 m by 1.3 m and standing 1.5 m high is set into the steep east bank of the River Dionard opposite Ach' Chairn farm. The span of the bridge has been totally destroyed. This may represent a failed attempt at constructing a replacement bridge platform for No 29 above, prior to the completion of the adjacent bridge in 1986. Flooding has almost totally destroyed this bridge and the remaining platform is now badly undercut. <4>
NGR adjusted based on 2009 vertical aerial photographs. <5>
Sources/Archives (5)
- <1> SHG2332 Text/Publication/Volume: Hume, J R. 1977. The industrial archaeology of Scotland 2: The Highlands and Islands. Paper (Original). 314.
- <2> SHG1480 Text/Publication/Article: Hume, J R. 1977. 'Scottish suspension bridges', Scot Archaeol Forum Vol. 8 1976, p.91-105. Scot Archaeol Forum. 91-105. 105, no. 6l.
- <3> SHG21099 Text/Report/Fieldwork Report: Brady, K. & Morris, C.D.. 1997. North Sutherland Survey: Coastal Zone Assessment Kyle of Durness to Torrisdale Bay. Glasgow University (GUARD). 30/01/1998. . Site 29.
- <4> SHG21099 Text/Report/Fieldwork Report: Brady, K. & Morris, C.D.. 1997. North Sutherland Survey: Coastal Zone Assessment Kyle of Durness to Torrisdale Bay. Glasgow University (GUARD). 30/01/1998. . Site 30.
- <5> SHG27382 Image/Photograph(s)/Aerial Photograph/Vertical: Get Mapping. 2009. Getmapping aerial photography 2009. XY
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred NC 3645 6179 (63m by 17m) (2 map features) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | NC36SE |
| Geographical Area | SUTHERLAND |
| Civil Parish | DURNESS |
Finds (0)
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Investigations/Events (1)
External Links (1)
- https://trove.scot/place/4838 (View record on the HES Trove website)
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