This marker is situated on the north bank of the South Esk in the town of Montrose on the east coast of Scotland. It gives a history of the adjacent road bridge and the three previous ones that have spanned the river over the last 200 years.
The text reads as follows:
'A Historic Setting
You are standing on the site of the Stromnay ("tide race river" in Old Norse), the original harbour settlement at the mouth of the river South Esk, whose rapid tidal current fills and empties Montrose Basin twice every day.
Until the late 18th century the only means of crossing the river at Montrose, on the coastal route from Aberdeen, was by an ancient ferry to Ferryden, on the south side of the river. The lowest bridging point was then the medieval bridge at Brechin, seven miles inland. At the time the river was navigable as far as Old Montrose.
In 1776 a fine stone bridge ws constructed over the North Esk at Kinnaber, three miles north of Montrose. This was followed in 1783 by a bridge over the South Esk at Dun, on the west side of Montrose Basin. Fears of trading losses for the Royal Burgh prompted the magistrates to petition for a bridge at Montrose. In 1792 an Act was raised for a toll bridge incorporating a drawbridge at the southern end. This "Timmer Brig" built of timber with stone abutments at either end was constructed across the river at this point to Inchbrayock, or Rossie Island, and was opened in 1795.
1 The Timmer Brig
The first bridge brought about changes in the town's layout. To the north, Bridge Street, a fine broad street was driven across the backland riggs of the houses on Seagait and Castle Street, while to the south a fine wide road crossed Inchbrayock to the Inch Bridge over the narrow backwater channel. This was filled in when the island was joined to the southern shore in the 1970s as part of the harbour developments.
The "Timmer Brig" only lasted 35 years, due to wood-boring marine organisms weakening the structure to such an extent that a replacement was urgently required.
2 The Suspension Bridge
The second bridge on the site was the Suspension Bridge, built in 1829, to the designs of Capt Samuel Brown RN, who had previously designed the famous Brighton Chain Pier using his bar chain process. William Smith of Montrose, the contractor for Montrose Steeple and architect of St. John's Church built the piers. In March 1830 one of the chains snapped when a crowd watching a boat race rushed from one side of the bridge to the other. Three people lost their lives. A further calamity occurred during a storm in 1838, when part of the road fell away. The picturesque bridge then became a much photographed and drawn Montrose landmark, until modern traffic requirements and weight restrictions occasioned a replacement in 1930.
3 The New Bridge of 1930
The stone abutments at either end of the suspension bridge were incorporated into the 1930 bridge. This was a precast concrete structure of a bold, iconic, cantilever design, which resembled a suspension bridge in appearance. The designer was Sir Owen Williams, a renowned engineer and architect, and a pioneer in the development of concrete architecture. The unusual contrast between material and structure attracted worldwide interest in engineering circles. Over time the structure succumbed to "concrete cancer" and was replaced in 2006.
4 Montrose Bridge Today
The present bridge is a three-span concrete and steel bridge with a distinctive cope and pronounced curvature to meet modern surface drainage and load requirements. Design consultants were Carl Bro of Denmark, and the main contractor was Balfour Beatty Construction.
The demolition of the old bridge and the construction of its replacement was a major event for the town. Steelwork fabricated in Belfast was brought to site by crane barge, and lifted directly onto bearings, thereby avoiding road disruption. The new bridge is designed to be robust, yet sensitive to its setting in such an important natural and historic environment.'
Also on the board are the 1810 painting, 'View of Montrose' by Henrietta Ouchterlony, which depicts the first bridge. A John Woods plan of Montrose from 1823 which shows the area at the time. A photograph of the Suspension Bridge taken from near the site of the marker. A photograph of the New Bridge of 1930. A photograph of the 1930 bridge being removed by the crane barge 'Rambiz' in 2006, and a photograph of the current bridge.