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MHG3074 - Caledonian Canal, Muirtown Swing Bridge, Inverness

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NH64NE 143 65359 45828 LIN 19
Muirtown Bridge (swing) [NAT]
OS 1:10,000 map, 1992.
Location formerly entered as NH 6536 4583.

The Muirtown swing bridge carries the A862 over the Caledonian Canal. Built in 1935, by Sir William Arrol and Co., it replaced an earlier bridge of 1816.
J Gifford 1992.

This bridge is at the foot of the Muirtown flight of locks (NH64NE 119.04) and just S of the extensive Muirtown Basin (NH64NE 120.00).
G Hutton 1992.

During March 1999, RCAHMS conducted a photographic survey of the standing industrial heritage relating to the swing bridges, canal locks over the Caledonian Canal and the nearby railway architecture in Inverness, Clachnaharry and environs. The purpose of this survey was to enhance and augment the existing holdings of the National Monuments Record Scotland.
Visited by RCAHMS (MKO), September 1997.

This bridge is clearly marked as Muirtown Bridge on the 1st edition of the OS 6-inch map (Inverness-shire 1874, sheet iv) and as Muirtown Bridge (Swing) on the 2nd edition of the OS 6-inch map (Inverness-shire 1907, sheet iv), on the current edition of the OS 1:10000 map (1992) and on the OS Basic Scale raster map (ND).
Information from RCAHMS (MD) 3 October 2001.

The bridge carries Telford Street (formerly the A9 public road, now the A862) over the Caledonian Canal on the western outskirts of Inverness.
Information from RCAHMS (RJCM), 31 March 2006.

The original double-sided swing bridge of 1816 is recorded on the OS 6-inch map 1st edition (Inverness-shire 1874, sheet iv) and 2nd edition (Inverness-shire 1907, sheet iv). It was replaced in 1935 by the current swing bridge (NH64NE 143).
The stone substructure of the bridge, which was aligned with Telford Street, has been modified, especially on the western bank of the canal to accommodate the later replacement bridge.
On the eastern bank the circular baseplate with its central pivot and circular track survives.
Visited by Scottish Canals (Bob Jones and Rosemary Jones), December 2012

Muirtown Swing Bridge - Control Cabin
Concrete structure, flat-roofed, roughly 3m high and 2.75m square, on the NE corner of the Muirtown swing bridge. Now unused. The windows are not original. Within the building are the cranks for the manual operation of the bridge (required should the electric power fail) and on one wall are the original handwritten operating instructions for operating the bridge, which show the original road gates, now replaced by barriers.
Visited by Scottish Canals (Rosemary Jones and Bob Jones), 2013

See links below to HES Canmore record for photos.

GIS spatial data created based on OS Master Map. <1>

Sources/Archives (5)

Map

Location

Grid reference	Centred NH 6534 4582 (51m by 66m) (2 map features)
Map sheet	NH64NE
Civil Parish	INVERNESS AND BONA
Geographical Area	INVERNESS

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