High Bridge, Over River Spean

High 3 arched rubble bridge; segmental headed dressed rubble arch rings; triangular cutwaters rising as stepped buttresses at each end abutments. Smaller east bank arch survives; section remains of cast-iron footbridge placed over missing spans, now also collapsed. Fragments of pulvinated string course survive.

High Bridge superseded by Thomas Telford's Spean Bridge further up stream. Said to have been (and still is') inscribed "In the ninth year of His Majesty King George II this bridge was erected under the care of Lt General Wade, Commander in Chief of all Forces in North Britain, 1736." In poor condition and difficult to examine owing both to condition and over-grown vegetation. (Historic Scotland)

October 1992: External inspection reveals the bridge to be ruinous. A smaller arch survives at the east bank, though the rest of the bridge has collapsed. A cast-iron footbridge has been placed over the missing spans, though this too has collapsed. Fragments of pulvinated string coursing survive.

September 2010: Site visit attempted but inaccessible due to flooding.

October 2011: Inspection finds sections of the iron footbridge remain. The abutment to the east bank and the middle abutment survive. Vegetation growth threatens the remaining masonry structures. However, overall, much of the bridge remains in similar condition to 1992.

31 May 2013: Inspection finds there are signs that suggest some further areas of the bridge are in danger of future collapse. Risk level raised to High.

13 July 2015: Local planners note some consolidation works were carried out on the bridge since our previous visit. Risk level reduced to Low.

23 February 2024: Desk-based assessment suggests the building remains At-Risk.