Documents

Where documents include maps, the use of this data is subject to terms and conditions (https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/termsandconditions).

The legal document available for download below constitutes the formal designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The additional details provided on this page are provided for information purposes only and do not form part of the designation. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within this additional information.

• Type

  Legal Documents

  Title

  Legal Documents for Bucksburn, canal bridge, 60m SSE of St Machar's Church (SM10378)

  Download(https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/document/600025256)

Summary

Description

The monument comprises an early nineteenth-century canal bridge, built to take the Aberdeenshire Canal over a natural stream, the Bucks Burn. The bridge, visible as an upstanding structure, now lies in the built-up area of Bucksburn, some 60m SSE of St Machar's Church, at a height of about 40m OD.

Today the bridge carries a minor road over the Bucks Burn. Only the E face of the bridge is visible. The W face is obscured by a 3m high wall which retains the garden ground of a modern dwelling house, 36 Old Meldrum Road, at a much higher level. The burn reappears 30m away, on the W side of Old Meldrum Road.

The bridge comprises a fine arch, some 5.5m wide, spanning the burn. The banks down to the burn are very steep. The lowest part of the banks has been concreted and walkways inserted on either side of the burn. The vertical E face of the bridge stands about 5m high and is built in coursed masonry. The roadway traversing the bridge is a minimum of 6.8m wide.

The bridge formed part of the Aberdeenshire Canal, which was begun in 1798 and opened in 1805. This canal provided a mode of transport for only a short space of time. It was superseded by the Aberdeen to Inverness railway line, opened in 1854, which runs close by the Bucksburn canal bridge today.

The area proposed for scheduling is an irregular, curving shape to include the whole bridge structure. It has maximum dimensions of 20m N-S by 9m W-E, as marked in red on the accompanying map. The scheduling excludes the road surface to allow for routine maintenance. It also excludes the high retaining wall on the W side of the road.

Statement of National Importance

The monument is of national importance as an integral part of the Aberdeenshire Canal, which has the potential to contribute to an understanding of canal engineering and architecture and early nineteenth-century transport. It is also important because the construction and use of the canal is well documented in written and cartographic sources. This particular bridge is an interesting example of one method used to engineer the canal over natural barriers, such as the Bucks Burn.

References

Bibliography

About Scheduled Monuments

Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating sites and places at the national level. These designations are Scheduled monuments, Listed buildings, Inventory of gardens and designed landscapes and Inventory of historic battlefields.

We make recommendations to the Scottish Government about historic marine protected areas, and the Scottish Ministers decide whether to designate.

Scheduling is the process that identifies, designates and provides statutory protection for monuments and archaeological sites of national importance as set out in the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.

We schedule sites and monuments that are found to be of national importance using the selection guidance published in Designation Policy and Selection Guidance (2019)

Scheduled monument records provide an indication of the national importance of the scheduled monument which has been identified by the description and map. The description and map (see ‘legal documents’ above) showing the scheduled area is the designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The statement of national importance and additional information provided are supplementary and provided for general information purposes only. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within the statement of national importance or additional information. These records are not definitive historical or archaeological accounts or a complete description of the monument(s).

The format of scheduled monument records has changed over time. Earlier records will usually be brief. Some information will not have been recorded and the map will not be to current standards. Even if what is described and what is mapped has changed, the monument is still scheduled.

Scheduled monument consent is required to carry out certain work, including repairs, to scheduled monuments. Applications for scheduled monument consent are made to us. We are happy to discuss your proposals with you before you apply and we do not charge for advice or consent. More information about consent and how to apply for it can be found on our website at www.historicenvironment.scot.

Find out more about scheduling and our other designations at www.historicenvironment.scot/advice-and-support. You can contact us on 0131 668 8914 or at designations@hes.scot.