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Summary

Description

A single-span, semi-circular coped rubble bridge with a single-arch that crosses over the Balbirnie Burn. The bridge dates to the earlier 19^th century. It is of squared rubble construction with voussoirs and there is a roll-moulded string course above the arch.

The bridge spans Balbirnie Back Burn, which flows through the former Balbirnie Estate grounds (GDL00034), and is located at the eastern entrance of The Den, a broad-leaved woodland den that bounds the northwestern edge of the Balbirnie Estate. It is located on a historic approach/drive that forms a curved route from the northeast elevation of Balbirnie House towards the woodland den, and out to the ancillaries at the western edge of the estate. The bridge is accessed via a local walking path network through Balbirnie Park Golf Club.

The bridge is one of three similar stone bridges (and a number of smaller wooden footbridges) within the former country estate landscape of Balbirnie which comprises Balbirnie House (listed at category A, ref: LB16687), along with a range of former estate buildings and woodland gardens. Located to the northeast of Glenrothes, the landscape now forms part of a public woodland/park. There is a 20th century, 18-hole golf course overlaid onto part of the parkland.

Statement of Special Interest

We have found that the bridge (at NGR NO 28887 02634) meets the criteria for listing for the following reasons:

• It is a good representative example of a traditional 19^th century estate bridge in a simple classical style, which survives largely in its original form.
• The historic character of its woodland estate setting has been largely retained and it forms part of a group of (listed and unlisted) historic buildings within the Balbirnie Estate. 
• Dating to the first half of the 19^th century, it is not a rare or particularly early example of its building type, but it is the earliest surviving stone bridge crossing over the Balbirnie Burn, which formed part of the pleasure grounds of Balbirnie House.
• It has special social historical interest as it has an historic association with the development of the Balbirnie Estate, which contributes to our understanding of this historically significant ancestral seat.

Listed building record revised in 2026.

References

Bibliography

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