Shakkin' Briggie facts for kids

St. Devenick's Bridge is a special footbridge in Scotland. People also call it the Shakkin' Briggie or Morison's Bridge. It's a suspension bridge, which means it hangs from cables. This bridge crosses the River Dee. It connects Ardoe to Cults, which are both near Aberdeen.

How the Bridge Started

The first stone for the bridge was laid on August 27, 1836. The bridge opened in 1837. A kind man named Rev. Dr. George Morison paid for it. It cost about £1,400, which was a lot of money back then!

Dr. Morison was a church minister in the area. He wanted to help the people in his church. Many of them lived on the other side of the River Dee. They had to cross the river by boat every Sunday to get to church. Dr. Morison thought a bridge would make their lives much easier.

He was a very helpful person in his community. He helped people get vaccines. He also made sure they had food during a time of hunger in 1800. He even started a savings bank and built a school.

Building the Bridge

The bridge was designed by John Smith. He was the main architect for Aberdeen City. John Smith had worked on other important bridges nearby. These included the Wellington Suspension Bridge. St. Devenick's Bridge was his only suspension bridge design built by himself.

The bridge stretches about 55 meters (180 feet) across the river. It has strong stone supports and cast-iron towers. The chains that hold the bridge up are made of iron bars. These bars are anchored into large stone blocks.

The bridge deck, which is the part you walk on, was made of wood. It was built by George Barclay, a friend of Dr. Morison. The bridge was quite flexible because it didn't have much metal to stiffen it. This flexibility is why people started calling it the Shakkin' Briggie!

After Dr. Morison passed away, the church looked after the bridge. Today, it's not clear who is legally responsible for the bridge. A newspaper once called it The Bridge That Nobody Owns. However, Aberdeen City Council is now thinking about what to do with the bridge in the future.

Bridge Damage

The bridge has been damaged by floods several times. This happened in 1876 and again in 1914. The worst flood was in October 1920. The water rose so high it went over the bridge deck!

Money was collected to fix the bridge. It reopened in September 1922. But then, the River Dee started to change its path. From 1955 onwards, the river moved. It washed away the southern parts of the bridge.

In 1984, the wooden deck was removed. This was done to keep people safe. The bridge is now a very old and important structure. It is a Category B listed structure, but it is no longer used.

Plans to Fix It

There have been ideas to fix the bridge. People wanted to restore it and make it reach the south bank again. There was a plan to create a group to take care of the bridge.

However, fixing the bridge would cost a lot of money. In 1990, it was estimated to cost about £775,000. So far, the money needed to restore it has not been found.

Images for kids

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  Looking across the bridge

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  Looking south-east towards the Bridge