Elgin's Bridge, Castle Hotel grounds | Restoration Case Study

Our role: Principal contractor
Client: DTSW Properties Ltd
Value: Under £0.5m
Programme: June 2022 to July 2024
Scope: Arch and parapet repairs, lime repointing, stitching anchors, deck waterproofing

Elgin's Bridge is a listed masonry arch bridge over the River Deveron beside the Castle Hotel in Huntly. Part of its south-east wing wall collapsed in 2009 and the structure had been held by temporary bracing and an earlier phase of repair. For DTSW Properties Ltd, and to a repair design by David Narro Associates, we carried out the masonry repairs to the arch, spandrel and parapet walls and rebuilt the deck.

Elgin's Bridge: from braced arch to completed repair

The challenge

The spandrel walls were leaning outward, pushed by heavy concrete blocks on the deck, and tree roots and vegetation had opened the joints. Hard cement pointing was trapping water, an area of the arch barrel had lost its stone, and the parapets were low and leaning by up to 70mm. Opening up revealed a further area of failed arch stonework and sixteen split arch stones. Everything had to be done from a designed scaffold over a live river, with protection against rising water and debris.

Our solution

We cleaned the stone with the DOFF system and by hand, removing moss, efflorescence and calthemite, then raked out the cement pointing and repointed the arch barrel and spandrels in a 5:2 mix of Angle Park sharp sand and Otterbein NHL 3.5 lime, with deep packing, pinning and grouting where joints were voided. The failed and bulged arch stonework was taken down and rebuilt, split arch stones were consolidated, and new stone in Hazeldean sandstone was built in where stone was missing. Grouted stainless steel stitching anchors tied the leaning walls, new facing masonry was tied back to the earlier concrete repair, and the parapets were rebuilt in reclaimed random rubble with new copes. On the deck, the concrete blocks and old surfacing were removed, a Bentomat clay liner was laid over the concrete, and a new granular build-up was finished with cobbled drainage channels and perforated drains to carry water off the bridge.

Outcomes

Arch secured

Failed and split arch stonework rebuilt and consolidated, and the leaning walls tied with stitching anchors.

Water kept out

The deck lowered, waterproofed with a clay liner and drained so water no longer saturates the masonry.

Lime throughout

Hard cement pointing replaced with a breathable NHL 3.5 lime mortar using locally sourced sand.

← All projects

Have a similar building?

Tell us about it and we’ll come back to you with how we’d approach it.

Discuss your project Call 01330 833 941

One of 1,000+ projects

More bridges & monuments

See all 234 named projects

Elgin's Bridge