Kalemouth Suspension Bridge facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Kalemouth Suspension Bridge |
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| Crosses | River Teviot |
| Heritage status | Category A listed |
| Characteristics | |
| Material | Wrought iron |
| Width | 16 feet (4.9 m) |
| Longest span | 180 feet (55 m) |
| History | |
| Designer | Captain Samuel Brown |
| Constructed by | William Mather |
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The Kalemouth Suspension Bridge is a special kind of bridge called a suspension bridge. You can find it in a beautiful part of Scotland called the Scottish Borders, close to a village called Kalemouth. This bridge crosses over the River Teviot right where it meets another river, the Kale Water, near a place called Eckford.
History of the Bridge
This amazing bridge was designed by Captain Samuel Brown (1776-1852). He was an officer in the Royal Navy. The bridge was built by William Mather, a local builder from Kalemouth. They worked on it sometime between 1820 and 1830.
In 1838, a writer named Alexander Jeffrey mentioned the bridge. He said it was first built by William Mein of Ormiston for his own use. But later, it was opened to everyone for a small fee. This was a great help to the local people.
Back in 1834, the fees were very small. If you walked across, it cost half a penny. A horse or cart cost three pence. A gig (a light carriage) cost six pence, and a chaise (another type of carriage) cost one shilling. People think these fees were paid at Kalemouth Cottage, which is now a private home.
The Kalemouth Suspension Bridge is very important. It is protected as a Category A listed building. This means it's a building of special historical interest. It is still used today as a public road bridge. It is also one of the oldest surviving bridges of its kind that was built for carriages.
How the Bridge is Designed
The Kalemouth Suspension Bridge crosses the River Teviot. This is just above where the Teviot joins the Kale Water, near Eckford. There's another bridge nearby called Kalemouth Bridge, which carries a different road (the A698) over the Kale Water.
This bridge works using the idea of suspension. It has strong chains made of long iron links. These are the main cables that hold the bridge up. Iron rods hang down from these chains. They are called suspenders, and they connect the chains to the bridge's flat part, called the deck. Some extra suspenders were added in the middle of the chain links to make it even stronger.
The bridge's wooden deck is supported by a red wooden frame called a truss. The deck itself is covered with a layer of asphalt. At each end of the bridge, there are four tall stone towers. These towers are shaped like pyramids and are made from a type of stone called ashlar.
The main part of the bridge stretches 180 feet (55 m) across the river. The bridge is also 16 feet (4.9 m) wide, which is enough for vehicles to cross.
