Three shallow stone arches carry the main route over the Don, joining early nineteenth-century engineering with an active transport role.
Quick facts
- Date
- 1810–11; repaired 1829
- Architect / designer
- Associated by council trail evidence with Thomas Telford and William Minto
- Type
- Three-span rough-ashlar road bridge with cutwaters and refuges
- Designation
- Listed building, Category B (LB19785)
- OS grid reference
- NJ 56134 17166
Architecture and continuing use
Three segmental arches spring from rough-ashlar piers and abutments. Pointed cutwaters divide the current and rise to refuges in the parapets, while curved approaches ease the road onto the crossing. The long, low profile responds to the broad river rather than seeking vertical emphasis.
Its story
The bridge was built in 1810–11 during a period of systematic road and bridge improvement, and repairs followed in 1829. Council trail material places it within the engineering world of Thomas Telford and mason-contractor William Minto. Continued road use has required later maintenance, but the three-arch form remains legible.
Why it is included
It explains how Alford was connected across the Don and keeps historic infrastructure within the Place’s living network rather than treating it as scenery.
What to notice
- The sequence of three segmental arches.
- Cutwaters rising into pedestrian refuges.
- Curved approach walls guiding the road onto the bridge.
Reading the surroundings
This is an active road crossing. Use designated pedestrian provision if present, remain alert to traffic and river hazards, and do not descend banks or climb parapets to obtain a view.
Timeline
- 1810–1811 The three-arch stone crossing was built over the River Don.
- 1829 Recorded repairs were carried out less than two decades after construction.
- 1971 The bridge received national listed-building protection.
- 2026 It continues to carry the public road across the river.
What we know — and what remains uncertain
Attribution is expressed as an association in council trail material; the accessible designation itself does not name a sole designer or define all later repairs.
Sources & further reading
- Historic Environment Scotland: Bridge of Alford, LB19785 — Current designation status, statutory identity, official mapped point, date, fabric and significance.
- Aberdeenshire Council: Historic Bridges Trail — Council-published engineering and route context for the Bridge of Alford and the wider historic crossing network.
- Trove: Bridge of Alford — National heritage inventory entry for designation identity, mapped location, related records and available archive material.
- Aberdeenshire Historic Environment Record: Bridge of Alford — Local historic-environment evidence for the stone bridge, construction history and recorded engineering context.
Location
OS grid reference NJ 56134 17166 · Location confidence: High for the current HES designation point; public text separately qualifies access, component identity and current use. · 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.
Suggest a marker correction
Suggest a more accurate position
The teal marker is the current published position. The orange marker starts slightly to its right so both remain visible; this is only a visual starting position. Tap the correct place on the map or drag the orange marker. Sending this form creates a private review entry only; it does not move the published marker.
Check this area in Google Maps Choose the Satellite layer there if useful.
Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors. You can also enter checked coordinates below.