Mary Bridge, Clackmannan - August 2022
The current Mary Bridge, on the main road through Clackmannan, allows road access to the village from the north and west over the Black Devon river. All of the main access roads to Clackmannan have either over rail or over river bridges to allow access to the village. The current bridge has been modified on several occasions and is said to have been built on the site of an older bridge (known as Queen Mary's Bridge) over which it's said, Mary, Queen of Scots once crossed. The existing bridge is of dressed stone construction, with a single arch.
A stone built into the east side of the bridge above the arch keystone bears the inscription "Mary's Bridge A D 17th April 1796".
The bridge is mentioned in the descriptive historical work "Between the Forth and the Ochils" by Scots/American Author David Beveridge from 1888.
In more recent times a pedestrian walkway was added to the east side, to allow access to Devonway, however this was later removed as it had been deemed unsafe, and the pavement at the roadside widened instead. The road at the south end narrows slightly and bends sharply eastward and has in the past been a near miss point for traffic.
Mary Bridge - west side - August 2022