Kelso Bridge

The Kelso Bridge or Rennie's Bridge is a bridge across the River Tweed at Kelso, in the Scottish Borders.HistoryOld bridgeThe first bridge at the site was opened in 1754, funded by public subscription. It had six arches, and replaced a ferry which was dangerous during times of bad weather and limited the volume of traffic that could pass through the town. An arch collapsed in 1756, killing 6 people. The bridge was repaired, but a storm on 25 October 1797 caused damage to the foundations of the centre arches, and the weakened structure collapsed into the river the following day.ReplacementJohn Rennie engineered the replacement bridge, which was built between 1800 and 1803, but he had been considering the design since 1798. It was his first major road bridge, and he gave exacting instructions for its construction, advising the trustees to build deep foundations by day labour instead of contract. The piers were sunk into the bedrock to a depth of using cofferdams, this level being around below low water. The cofferdams were kept dry by a pump driven by a water wheel on the south bank of the river.The bridge was built by a partnership between John Murray of Edinburgh and Robert Lees of East Lothian. It is situated about downstream of the site of the old bridge.