A bridge little more than five feet wide carries the scale of packhorse travel into the present-day town.
Quick facts
- Date
- Rebuilt 1674; parapets early nineteenth century; heightened about 1840
- Architect / designer
- Masons not identified
- Type
- Two-arched packhorse bridge
- Designation
- Listed building, Category B (LB21050)
- OS grid reference
- NO 24516 48702
Architecture and continuing use
Two rubble-built segmental arches cross the burn with cutwaters between them. The unusually narrow deck, later parapets and altered height preserve several phases of repair while still revealing a route made for loaded pack animals rather than modern traffic.
Its story
Maps show a crossing here by about 1600, and the bridge was rebuilt in 1674. Parapets were added in the early nineteenth century and the structure was heightened around 1840 as the town and its routes changed.
Why it is included
Category B listing protects one of Scotland’s early masonry bridges and a tangible part of Alyth’s pre-industrial transport network.
What to notice
- The two low segmental arches.
- Cutwaters dividing the flow of Alyth Burn.
- The very narrow deck and later overhanging parapets.
Reading the surroundings
Use the promoted pedestrian route with care, especially when the surface is wet or busy. Give way on the narrow crossing, keep children close and never climb parapets or enter the burn.
Timeline
- By 1600 Mapped evidence shows a bridge crossing Alyth Burn.
- 1674 The masonry pack bridge was rebuilt.
- Early 1800s Parapets made the narrow crossing more enclosed.
- c.1840 The bridge was heightened during another phase of alteration.
What we know — and what remains uncertain
Local accounts sometimes assign an earlier date than the national record; the text distinguishes mapped evidence from the documented 1674 rebuilding.
Sources & further reading
- Historic Environment Scotland: Alyth Pack Bridge, LB21050 — Current designation status, mapped location, date, fabric and architectural or archaeological interest.
- Trove designation: LB21050 — Parallel national record identity and archival context.
- Cateran Ecomuseum: Alyth Pack Bridge — Local history, physical interpretation and promoted walking context.
Location
OS grid reference NO 24516 48702 · Location confidence: High: the current national designation supplies an exact mapped National Grid Reference; public text separately states access and current-use uncertainty. · Select the marker to open its satellite view in Google Maps. On desktop, drag Pegman (the yellow figure) onto a blue road. On mobile, turn on the Street View layer and tap a blue road. Other photo markers may be user-contributed.
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