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Haddington, Bridge Street, Nungate Bridge

Architectural Fragment (16th Century), Armorial Panel(S) (Period Unknown), Road Bridge (16th Century)

Site Name Haddington, Bridge Street, Nungate Bridge

Classification Architectural Fragment (16th Century), Armorial Panel(S) (Period Unknown), Road Bridge (16th Century)

Alternative Name(s) River Tyne

Canmore ID 56563

Site Number NT57SW 7

NGR NT 51921 73794

Datum OSGB36 - NGR

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/56563

Ordnance Survey licence number AC0000807262. All rights reserved.
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Digital Images

Administrative Areas

  • Council East Lothian
  • Parish Haddington
  • Former Region Lothian
  • Former District East Lothian
  • Former County East Lothian

Archaeology Notes

NT57SW 7 51912 73795

(NT 5192 7378) Nungate Bridge (NR)

OS 6" map (1969).

Nungate Bridge, built of red sandstone, appears to be of 17th century date, but it has been considerably altered and repaired. There are two 18th century arches on the eastern approach. The bridge itself is over 210ft [6.4m] long and 14ft 8 ins [1.4m] across the parapets; it has three main arches.

RCAHMS 1924, visited 1912

The bridge is as described.

Visited by OS (BS) 16 July 1975.

(Location cited as NT 519 738). Nungate Bridge, 16th century. A three-span bridge with roughly segmental arches and triangular cutwaters. The arch rings and lower courses of the spandrels are of dressed stone.

J R Hume 1976.

The Nungate Bridge is believed to have been erected in stone in the 15th century. Town Council records indicate that stones from the parish church were used to repair it in 1659.

R Gourlay and A Turner 1977.

Nungate Bridge is basically a red sandstone construction of the 16th century, repaired in the 18th century when the steep gradient of the E side was modified by further arches, and a pair of stairways added.

C McWilliam 1978.

This bridge carries a footpath (evidently formerly a road) across the River Tyne on the ESE side of Haddington (NT57SW 65).

Information from RCAHMS (RJCM), 7 March 2006.

Activities

Modification (1530)

Now restricted to pedestrian and cycle use

Field Visit (13 July 1912)

This bridge (fig. 92 [SC1322904]) spans the River Tyne on the east of Haddington and gives access from the town to the suburb of Nungate. .The structure is over 210 feet in length and traverses a waterway 100 feet in width on three arches; two additional arches on the east carry the incline between the higher level of the roadway of the bridge and the lower level of the ground on the east bank. The western arch is three-centred, the other two spanning the river are slightly pointed, while those carrying the eastern approach are semi-circular and are not contemporaneous with the structure, having been added in the 18th century. The arches are not ribbed, and the cutwaters, which project from the piers, have sloping weather tops. The western approach from the town is angled; the eastern has been altered. The roadway averages 10 feet 8 inches in width and the bridge measures 14 feet 8inches across the parapets.

The structure is built of red sandstone and has been considerably altered and repaired over a long period; from the evidence now visible it appears to date from the 17th century. It is still used for vehicular traffic, and its present condition is satisfactory. In the retaining wall on the east bank to the south of the bridge are several carved stones. At a point A on [RCAHMS 1924] fig. 92 is found a lintel 3 ½ feet by 10 inches inscribed in relief; the first words are illegible, the termination reads A N O 1565. The lintel and some other stones, which apparently bear armorial achievements too decayed to be decipherable, have probably nothing to do with the bridge, and were possibly removed from St. Mary's Church as the stones are of a similar nature.

RCAHMS 1924, visited 13 July 1912.

Project (2007)

This project was undertaken to input site information listed in 'Civil engineering heritage: Scotland - Lowlands and Borders' by R Paxton and J Shipway, 2007.

Publication Account (2007)

Nungate Bridge, Haddington is probably early-16th century at least in parts, sandstone masonry bridge, also over the Tyne, about 210 ft long, and with three low-rise segmental arches of about 44 ft span. Its masonry details are similar in Scotland only to Old Bridge, Musselburgh, for which Inglis poses a date of ca.1530 and that Haddington Bridge is earlier. The width between parapet faces is about 1012 ft and 1434 ft overall. The bridge shows signs of mucha alteration and repair and it is difficult to be certain of the dating of its various elements. It was used by vehicular traffic in the last century but is now restricted to pedestrian and cycle use.

R Paxton and J Shipway 2007

Reproduced from 'Civil Engineering heritage: Scotland - Lowlands and Borders' with kind permission from Thomas Telford Publishers.

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