Monument record MHG14917 - Suspension Footbridge, Measach Falls, Corrieshalloch Gorge

NH27NW 8 2033 7801

The spectacular Corrieshalloch Gorge, which is 65 yds (60m) deep and almost a mile (1.8 km) long, is spanned from ledge to ledge by a suspension bridge which combines an airy hammock-like curve with unobtrusive strenth. It was built in 1867 by Sir John Fowler, one of the designers of the Forth Rail Bridge, and there is more than a hint of that bridge's majestic power in this little structure, which was perhaps a sparetime diversion.
The span is 82 ft 6 ins (25.2m) and the abutments, which are well built into the gorge sides, are of stone. The pylons are formed of two cast iron tubes that lean towarsd each other and join at a height of 8 ft 4 ins (2.5m), making a narrow A-shape. The plane of this A is perpendicular to the span. Over the apex, the cable passes in a curved sleeve at 9 ft (2.7m) high. The wire-rope cables come up from their anchorage points at an angle to the pylons and then, as they dip to deck level, curve inwards; the suspension rods are angled out to fit. It is this combination of diagonals on a dipping curve, along with the solidity and crispness of the pylons and the triangular truss carrying the deck, that gives this bridge its markedly buoyant looks.
The bridge became the property of the National Trust for Scotland in 1945. In 1977, cracks in the N anchorage caused their replacement in concrete, and, more recently, the deck planking has been renewed and mesh panels added.
G Nelson 1990.

This bridge carries a narrow fottpath and was apparently intended as a viewpoint for the scenic Falls of Measach.
Information from RCAHMS (RJCM), 17 July 1996.