Telford's Bridge

On its 200th Anniversary, it was time to paint Thomas Telford's famous bridge over the River Spey at Craigellachie. I've been meaning to get round to this for ages! The bridge was built between 1812 and 1814 at a point where the Spey is particularly deep, hence the use of a metal arch rather than masonry, which is more usual in this area. It was built of particularly high tensile steel from Wales because, under load, the design is unusually not under compression for its whole length. It was replaced, in 1972, by the predictably utilitarian concrete bridge which now carries the main A941 in a much straighter line but I'm glad it still exists in good condition. It serves as a beautiful reminder of an age where beauty, finesse, grace and design were as important as functionality: something we seem to have sadly lost in the modern age. Now I'm starting to sound like Prince Charles!!

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