Old Guardbridge - Fife, Scotland.
Posted by: 
creg-ny-baa
N 56° 21.541 W 002° 53.320
30V E 506879 N 6246043
Medieval bridge spanning the River Eden, believed to be the oldest standing road bridge in Scotland, now used by cyclists and pedestrians as part of the Fife Coastal Path.
Waymark Code: WM14WV5
Location: Northern Scotland, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 09/03/2021
Views: 3
Guardbridge, (from Gairbridge, Gair, from the old Scots word for muddy), is a 15th century six arched stone bridge spanning the River Eden in the village that it gave its name to, four miles from the ancient university town of St.Andrews.
The bridge was built here in 1419 by Bishop Henry Wardlaw to ease the Pilgrims route to the coastal town of St.Andrews, and also help establish it as a university town. Repair work was carried out the following century by Archbishop James Beaton, and it remained the principal crossing over the river until being joined by a railway bridge on its northern side in 1852.
The narrowness of the roadway became a cause for concern after the invention of the motor car, and it was not uncommon for vehicles to become stranded trying to pass on the bridge. Eventually, in 1938, a new bridge was built immediately to the south, and now carries traffic on the A91 road between St.Andrews and central Fife.
The three bridges eventually became two again, with the closing of the railway to St.Andrews and the dismantling of the railway bridge, but the old bridge remains as part of the Fife Coastal Path, open to walkers and cyclists.
The bridge is believed to be the oldest road bridge in Scotland, as it still remains as it was built. It has six arches, with three refuges in either side. The roadway is around 12 feet wide.