Glenshee Bridge - Spittal of Glenshee, Perth & Kinross.
Posted by: 
creg-ny-baa
N 56° 48.842 W 003° 27.660
30V E 471855 N 6296780
Historic information about the adjacent 18th century bridge that carried the military road over the Shee Water at the Spittal of Glenshee in Highland Perthshire.
Waymark Code: WM1138V
Location: Northern Scotland, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 08/08/2019
Views: 1
The Spittal of Glenshee is a hamlet that lies at the top of Glen Shee, now by-passed by the A93 road which heads north through the mountains towards Braemar. Back in the 18th century a military road was built which went through the Spittal, and crossed the Shee Water by means of a hump-backed arch bridge. The bridge remains in use and a sign on the north side gives historical information as well as an illustration of how these bridges were built. The text reads as follows:
'The 18th century military roads and bridges in Perthshire
The bridge in front of you was built under the supervision of Major Caulfield as part of the 18th century military road building programme.
The road, conceived by General Wade in 1725, were built in response to the threat of Jacobite unrest at the time they allowed quick and easy movement of British troops through the Highlands in order to quash any rebellions.
Did you know?
This bridge carries the military road from Coupar Angus to the great Fort George, Ardersier Point near Inverness. It has an arch of 52ft and was built in 1749 at a cost of £40.
Although soldiers constructed the roads, specialist craftsman such as masons who built the bridges, blacksmiths and carpenters would have been civilians.
Masons would build the bridges over a timber frame called a falsework.
The bridges were often made of roughly worked boulders held in position using lime mortar.
Once the bridge was completed, the falsework would be removed and re-used. The masons then applied a protective coating made of lime called 'harling'.'