The Nasmyth Bridge, East Calder, West Lothian, Scotland

The Nasmyth Bridge, East Calder

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400m (0.25 miles) south west of the Visitor Centre in Almondell and Calderwood Country Park in West Lothian, the Nasmyth Bridge crosses the River Almond. Also known as the Almondell Bridge (indeed it is noted as such on the Ordnance Survey map), it was commissioned by Henry Erskine and designed by the noted Scottish artist Alexander Nasmyth (1758-1840).

Alexander Nasmyth

Although known as the father of Scottish landscape painting, Nasmyth began his artistic career as a portrait artist, studying under Alan Ramsay in London before returning to Edinburgh, where he painted portraits of aristocrats and celebrities, including a 1787 portrait of Robert Burns, which now hangs in the Scottish National Gallery. Like Erskine, he had an affinity with Burns, with whom he shared his liberal political opinions, and the two became friends. However, his politics led to rejection by his aristocratic clients, and in 1792, he turned exclusively to landscape painting.

This was the time of the Scottish Enlightenment. As well as being an artist, Nasmyth had an interest in science and architecture. In 1788, he was one of the crew when the entrepreneur Patrick Millar sailed the world's first steamship on Dalswinton Loch, near Dumfries. His landscape paintings nearly all included architecture of some description, and some, such as his Inverary from the Sea, were commissioned specifically to show what a proposal for a new building would look like when complete. He designed the circular temple of St. Bernard’s Well, in Stockbridge, Edinburgh, as well as providing an early design for city's Dean Bridge, eventually built by Thomas Telford.

Building the Bridge

Nasmyth's Bridge was built around 1800. He designed it in a romantic fashion, using a sandstone ashlar to create two rustic arches, one larger than the other, along with a crenelated parapet, featuring stone seats, or merlons. As well as providing a crossing on the southern approach to Erskine's house at Almondell, the bridge created a focal point in the landscape of the narrow valley. Nasmyth used the bridge in many of his paintings and drawings, including An Angler and Huntsman near Almondell Bridge and View on the River Almond, near Edinburgh, with Almondell Bridge and a Fisherman.

The Bridge Collapses

The Nasmyth Bridge stood proudly across the River Almond for over 170 years. But in October 1973, part of the large arch and the east side of the wall collapsed into the river, rendering the bridge impassable. An investigation showed that a water pipe had burst within the structure, causing internal damage and weakening the bridge.

Restoration

The Edinburgh Gazette of the 15th February 1977 carried a proposal to demolish the remainder of the main arch. A reprieve was granted, but by 1996, the bridge was still unrepaired. A decision was made by West Lothian Council to seek funds to begin restoration. The Heritage Lottery Fund award £218,000, with the remainder provided by a number of sources including Historic Scotland and the Council themselves. Scaffolding enveloped the bridge for many months when restoration work was carried out in 1997-98 under the direction of Ted Ruddock, an engineer with a special interest in historical bridges.

Ruddock's work was sympathetic, retrieving as much of the original stone as possible from the river, and bringing in matching sandstone from a quarry in England where original stones could not be used. No further demolition work was carried out on the surviving sections of the bridge. Only a couple of deferences to the modern era were made. The internal material, originally of earth and stone and which had been damaged when the water pipe had burst, was replaced with concrete. And as a nod to safety, steel rails were added to the lower parts of the crenelated parapets. The restored bridge appears, with the exception of the steel rails, exactly as it did back in the 1800s when it was used by Henry Erskine and his family to relax and enjoy the view of his estate.

Today, the Nasmyth Bridge is an A listed building and an important part of Almondell Country Park. Cycle route 75 crosses the bridge, and it is part of the circular route around the park, as well as the longer route down to Lin's Mill Aqueduct.

The bridge is monitored for damage, as are the surrounding trees, in case a falling branch should land on the structure. The Ranger Service keep the bridge free of vegetation such as ivy, which can penetrate the masonry and stonework. Only foot traffic and light vehicles are permitted to cross the bridge, and sporting activities such as climbing and abseiling from the structure are prohibited.

These proactive damage control measures should keep Alexander Nasmyth's bridge standing for many years to come.