Craigmin Bridge
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{coord|57|38|44|N|2|56|17|W|region:GB|display=title}}
{{Infobox bridge
| name = Craigmin Bridge
| native_name =
| native_name_lang =
| image = File:Craigmin Bridge (geograph 5229829).jpg
| image_upright =
| alt =
| caption = Craigmin Bridge
| pushpin_map =
| pushpin_relief =
| pushpin_map_size =
| pushpin_map_alt =
| pushpin_map_caption =
| coordinates =
| os_grid_reference =
| qid =
| refs =
| carries = Pedestrians; originally carriages
| crosses = The Burn of Letterfourie
| locale =
| starts =
| ends =
| official_name =
| other_name =
| named_for =
| owner =
| maint =
| heritage = Category A listed building
| id =
| id_type =
| material = Rubble
| material1 =
| material2 =
| length =
| width =
| height =
| depth =
| traversable =
| mainspan =
| number_spans =
| piers_in_water =
| load =
| clearance_above =
| clearance_below =
| architect = Robert Adam (probably)
| designer =
| contracted_designer =
| begin =
| complete = Circa 1773
| cost =
| open =
| map_type =
| map_relief =
| map_dot_label =
| map_image =
| map_size =
| map_alt =
| mapframe =
| mapframe_zoom =
| mapframe_width =
| mapframe_height =
| mapframe_marker =
| mapframe_marker_color =
| mapframe_lat =
| mapframe_long =
| map_caption =
| extra =
}}
Craigmin Bridge is an eighteenth century bridge within the grounds of Letterfourie House, in Moray, Scotland. Spanning the Burn of Letterfourie, it once formed part of the main approach road to the house. Probably built by Robert Adam, who designed the house, it is a Category A listed building, and is currently on the Buildings at Risk Register for Scotland.
Description
The bridge has a very unusual two-tier design, with a lower, single-arched span supporting two semi-circular arches above, with a smaller segmental arch and a mural passage between them, and a shallow round-headed niche above in the spandrel. The structure is rubble-built, with end buttresses, an undulating parapet, and a later concrete cope. A doorway in the north-west corner of the bridge gives access to a small cell built into the structure.{{cite web |title=Five of Scotland's lesser-known bridges |url=https://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/five-of-scotland-s-lesser-known-bridges-1-4223687 |website=The Scotsman |publisher=JPI Media Ltd |accessdate=26 March 2019}}
The span of the lower arch is {{convert|36|ft|6|in}}, and each of the upper arches has a {{convert|28|ft|}} span. The unusual design has been described as 'remarkable', 'curious' and 'wildly picturesque'.{{cite book |last1=McKean |first1=Charles |title=The District of Moray - An Illustrated Architectural Guide |date=1987 |publisher=Scottish Academic Press |location=Edinburgh |isbn=0707305284 |page=124 |edition=First}}
History
The bridge has existed in its current state since around 1773,{{cite book |last1=Walker and Woodworth |title=Pevsner Architectural Guides - The Buildings of Scotland - Aberdeenshire: North and Moray |date=2015 |publisher=Yale University Press |location=New Haven and London |isbn=9780300204285 |pages=687–688}} when it was built to carry a carriage drive to Letterfourie House over the steep ravine of the Burn of Letterfourie.{{Historic Environment Scotland|num=LB15542|desc=Letterfourie, Craigmin Bridge over Burn of Letterfourie|fewer-links=yes|access-date=15 April 2019}} It is possible that the upper, two-span tier was built on top of an existing, single-span structure, giving rise to the unusual design.{{cite web |title=Moray SMR - NJ46SW0029 - Craigmin Bridge |url=https://online.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/smrpub/master/detail.aspx?Authority=MOR&refno=NJ46SW0029 |website=Aberdeenshire Council |publisher=Aberdeenshire Council |accessdate=26 March 2019}}{{cite web |title=Craigmin Bridge, Letterfourie House Policies, Drybridge |url=https://www.buildingsatrisk.org.uk/details/909422 |website=Buildings at risk register for Scotland |publisher=Historic Environment Scotland |accessdate=26 March 2019}}{{cite book |last1=Shepherd |first1=Ian |title=Exploring Scotland's Heritage - Aberdeen and North-East Scotland |date=1996 |publisher=HMSO |location=Edinburgh |isbn=0114952906 |page=75 |edition=Second}} This would likely have been because the a road leading up the ravine from the level of the lower tier, while suitable for foot traffic, would have been too steep for a carriage to manage.{{Canmore|desc=Letterfourie House, Craigmin Bridge|num=133305|access-date=26 March 2019}} It is probable that Robert Adam, who designed the house, also worked on the bridge,{{cite web |title=Building/Design Report, Letterfourie House |url=http://www.scottisharchitects.org.uk/building_full.php?id=420823 |website=Dictionary of Scottish Architects |publisher=Dictionary of Scottish Architects |accessdate=28 March 2019}} but no drawings or documentation survive to confirm this.
The bridge was designated a category A listed building in 1972. It was added to the Buildings at Risk Register for Scotland in 2008, due to the invasion of vegetation leading to bulging walls and the loss of pointing and masonry. Despite some efforts to cut back the vegetation, it is still at risk, and as of August 2018 was classified as being at 'high' risk and in 'poor' condition.