Skipper's Bridge (A7 over River Esk)

Skipper's Bridge is a road bridge, built between 1693 and 1700, and widened to the north around 1807. It spans the River Esk with three unequal segmental arches. The outer arches are smaller and designed to provide flood relief, with the westernmost arch being the smallest. The bridge is constructed from squared rubble with ashlar voussoirs, and features pointed cutwaters on either side. A corbel table is visible on the original south elevation, stepped to follow the arches. Pilaster strips run along the north elevation, positioned above the cutwaters. The parapets were added in the 19th century and splay outwards towards the approaches. A manuscript written by MacFarlane in 1726 describes the bridge as being “built about 26 years ago,” confirming the early 18th-century date. References to the bridge appear in Hyslop’s “Langholm as it Was” (1912) and MacFarlane’s “Geographical Collections” (vol II, p.390).