Duchess Bridge

About Duchess Bridge

This ornamental cast iron footbridge was erected in the autumn of 1813 crossing over the River Esk and is the second-oldest bridge of its type in Scotland.
The first ever constructed was the bridge at Burnfoot, just over three miles northwest of Langholm.

The Duchess Bridge was built for the 4th Duke of Buccleuch within his grounds at Langholm Lodge. At the time he was a great innovator and had passionate interests in developing his estates. The bridge replaced a wooden structure, also named in honour of his mother, The Dowager Duchess of Buccleuch, Lady Elizabeth Montagu.

The bridge was designed by William Keir Junior of Buccleuch Estates and cast in Workington, Cumbria as a single segmental arch over the Esk. To this day, it forms a central part of a popular walking route around the grounds of the former Langholm Lodge, designed and constructed by the prominent architect James Playfair in 1786-1787 for the 3rd Duke of Buccleuch, but demolished in 1953.