Year
circa 1460Duration
2-3 yearsCost
UnknownLocation
ScotlandProject achievements
Used engineering skill
Features a single Roman-style arch, unusual for the period
Connected communities
Allowed travel to the market and port at Ayr
Conservation
Thanks to Reverend Hamilton Paul, the bridge stands to this day
The bridge that saved Robert Burns' Tam O'Shanter
The (Auld) Brig O’ Doon is a 15th century pre-reformation bridge spanning the River Doon in Ayrshire, south-west Scotland.
Also known as the Old Bridge of Doon, it's a single Roman-styled arch of 72ft (21.95m) span, and a rise of 26ft (7.92m).
The bridge gained its fame thanks to Robert Burns and his poem Tam O’Shanter, written in 1790.
In this narrative poem, the protagonist Tam is saved from pursuing witches after crossing the Brig O' Doon, as they wouldn't dare cross the stream.
Without Burns’ writings, the bridge might not have survived.
The Bridge is now pedestrianised and a major tourist attraction, but it served as the primary crossing of the Doon on its lower course up until the completion of a new bridge in 1816.
Now, do thy speedy utmost, Meg,
And win the key-stane o' the brig;
There at them thou thy tail may toss,
A running stream they dare na cross.
Robert Burns (1790)
Did you know …
-
It's been observed that "the line of the cobbled roadway is cranked in plan, due to an ancient belief that this irregular form deterred witches from crossing".
-
The Brig O’ Doon was built in the style of a fortified bridge. This means that the angled approaches make the bridge more of a barrier, making it easier to defend.
-
The bridge was saved twice by Reverend Hamilton Paul, once from demolition and once from collapse.
How was the Brig O' Doon built?
The Brig O'Doon's large single arch is unusual for the period.
Most builders at the time opted for multiple smaller arches, with intermittent piers within the watercourse minimising the forces.
The builders of the Brig O' Doon truly understood the materials and the engineering fundamentals to be able to cross the River Doon in a single span.
The bridge was built in the style of a fortified bridge. This means the angled approaches make the bridge easier to defend, rather than being an actual fortification.
It's likely that in this period (1460-1593) this bridge would've been guarded, and a toll collected to use the bridge.
It's believed that the bridge was erected circa 1460.
It can be reasoned through comparison with other arched bridges of that period, which had better records, that the construction period would have been two to three years.
The Brig O’ Doon, would've been a reliable crossing point for people travelling from the south to the market and port at Ayr (established in the 12th century).
The Brig O' Doon's unlikely saviour
Reverend Hamilton Paul had a great love for the genius of the poet Robert Burns, and supported the bard at a time when his works were not as widely known or celebrated.
In 1801, Burns' friend and patron John Ballantine asks Reverend Paul to host a supper to celebrate the life and work of Burns, who had passed five years earlier.
This small gathering at Burns’ Cottage in Alloway led by Reverend Paul was the start of the traditional Burns Supper.
By 1812 the Brig O' Doon was sold by the Ayrshire Road Trustees, to the contractor responsible for constructing a new crossing over the Doon.
It was the contractor’s plans to dismantle the bridge for the material for the new crossing.
The Reverend Paul petitions for it to be saved in verse, along with raising funds to repurchase the Auld Brig O’ Doon within days.
The petition written by Reverend Paul serves its purpose yet again in 1832, when the bridge was at risk of collapse.
The new trustees rejected calls to repair the bridge on account of it being “only a private footpath” and a waste of public funds.
But when shown the petition written by Reverend Paul, the trustees contributed towards the repairs out of their own pockets.
People who made it happen
It's speculated that the bridge was built from funds left by Bishop Kennedy (1408-1465), who was Chancellor of Scotland for a short period of time in 1444.
The poet Robert Burns made the Brig O' Doon famous in his poem Tam O' Shanter (1790).
Reverend Hamilton Paul saved the bridge on two occassions by writing a petition and raising funds.