Powfoot Bridge and Retaining Walls

The bridge and associated retaining walls at Powfoot date from around 1900 and were designed by Frank C Carruthers of Lockerbie and Dumfries. The retaining walls, lining the banks of the Pow Burn, are deliberately rustic, constructed as a drystone wall built in courses with rounded copestones of irregular size, which curve upwards to meet the bridge. The bridge itself is a concrete beam bridge with rock-faced sandstone abutments. It features simple iron railings, with modern supplementary protective measures, set above panelled ashlar dies with ogee tops. The abutments are wider than the bridge structure, reflecting the former presence of a dam that impounded an ornamental lake; this dam has since been removed. A low brick wall with cast iron railings now marks the site of the former dam. The bridge represents an early example of concrete beam construction. The site is part of a group of buildings including items 30, 31, 32, 33, and 33B.