The Eglinton Tournament Bridge is a bridge located within Eglinton Country Park near Kilwinning, North Ayrshire, Scotland. The bridge crosses the Lugton Water a short distance northwest of Eglinton Castle () and was named after the Eglinton Tournament of 1839. The castle and surrounding grounds were once home to the Montgomerie family, Earls of Eglinton and chiefs of the Clan Montgomery.
History
The Tournament Bridges The surviving 'Tournament Bridge' was built to provide an appropriate crossing point to gain access to the far side of the Lugton Water and the Eglinton Kennels, circa 1845. Archibald Montgomerie, the 13th Earl of Eglinton had the bridge built in a Gothic style, using cast iron for the arches, pinnacles, etc. and stone for the two pairs of miniature ornamental towers at either end. These towers have subtle design differences (see photographs) which are significant in the context of the extended history of the bridge. This 'Tournament' bridge is said to have been designed by the architect David Hamilton; agreement to build the original three arched bridge was reached on 16 October 1799 by the 12th Earl of Eglinton and Hamilton's first recorded work dates from 1807. An Adam Russell is recorded as being partner to the agreement.National Archives of Scotland. GD3/2/170. The first bridge is described by Aiton in 1811 as "a bridge of three arches, the piers of stone, and the arches of cast-iron, of the most elegant device, imitating the gothic style of the castle, with the family arms in the centre, now building about 100 yards below the castle, where the river is 102 feet broad".Aiton, William (1811). General View of The Agriculture of the County of Ayr; observations on the means of its improvement; drawn up for the consideration of the Board of Agriculture, and Internal Improvements, with Beautiful Engravings. Glasgow. p. 318
The bridge's cast-iron parapet is a repetition of the pointed Gothic arch design of the castle, surmounted by a battlement, and relieved in the centre with foliated pinnacles.Millar, A. H. (1885). The Castles and Mansions of Ayrshire. Reprinted by The Grimsay Press (2004). . P. 74. The Tournament Bridge is B listed by Historic Scotland.Historic gardens
The 1839 Eglinton Tournament was held on a meadow or holm at a loop in the Lugton Water. Most of the holm no longer exists, the excavations in this area having provided gravel and sand for the construction of the Kilwinning bypass and leaving behind an excavation pit which is now known as Eglinton Loch. The Knights on horseback and their retinue reached the tilt yard ('C' on the map) via an enclosed ride ('G' on the map), whilst the guests and visitors made their way to the stands via the route marked 'F' on the map illustrated. Both groups crossed over the previous three arched Gothic bridge. A map of 1837 of Eglinton Castle, Grounds and Tilt yard of 1837 shows that the tilt yard was already in existence at this early date, but it is not recorded what its fate was after the tournament was over.Anstruther, Ian (1986). The Knight and the Umbrella. An Account of the Eglinton Tournament 1839. Pub. Alan Sutton. Gloucester. . P. III.
The 'new' Tournament Bridge served as a well used route across the Lugton Water, running through the Deer Park to Eglinton kennels (previously known as Laigh Moncur), especially on days when the Eglinton Hunt met at the castle itself. It was built by Messrs Connell of Dalgarven, using parts of the original bridge and possibly to a design by David Hamilton.Ness, J. A. (1968). Eglinton Tournament 1839. Privately produced. p. 15. Messrs. Connell also built the new Kilwinning Tower to a design by David Hamilton.
The original bridge, also with four pairs of miniature towers, but with three arches and four pinnacles, stood roughly 100 yards further up the river towards the castle; estate records show that it was built between 1802 and 1806Paterson Papers, Abstract of the expenditure on Eglinton Castle Offices, Gardens, etc from 1797 to 1806. GD.3/3/24 Scottish Archives The original bridge is shown in several contemporary prints and maps as illustrated in the appropriate gallery of this article; the earliest is in William Aiton's book as published in 1811.Scottish National Archive. RHP 2027.Aitken, Robert (1829). The Parish Atlas of Ayrshire – Cunninghame. Pub. W. Ballantine. Edinburgh. It was this bridge that was used at the Eglinton Tournament as can be seen from the illustrations of the event, however the name was passed on to the 'new' bridge constructed downstream of it. No clear sign of this three arched bridge remains, a weir having been built at its old position; the 'old' bridge was constructed in 1811 according to Close.,Close, Rob (1992), Ayrshire Buildings. Royal Incorporated Architects of Scotland. . P. 64.Ayrshire Roots therefore around the time of the 'new' castle being built in 1801/2 and also when the grounds were being laid out by Tweedie.
Surviving architects drawings show the designs for a three arched bridge and as stated, contemporary prints of the Eglinton Tournament also show a three arched Tournament bridge, with cast-iron arches, pinnacles and parapets which may have been re-used in the later 'new' bridge which survives today. David Hamilton is recorded on the 1811 engraving as being the architect. A splendid archway was planned to be built for the tournament at the bridge, however this not recorded in the engravings.Guide to The Tournament at Eglinton Castle on 28th AND 29th AUGUST, 1839. Irvine : Maxwell Dick. P. 17
The point at which the 'old' bridge crossed the Lugton was 102 feet broad and 100 yards downriver from the castle.Aiton, William (1811). Extract from the General View of the Agriculture of Ayr. It had the Montgomerie coat of arms in the centre. Aiton describes it as being under construction in 1811. The miniature castle towers on the demolished bridge are shown as each being surmounted by a double cross, but these do not figure on the 'new' Tournament Bridge; the 'old' bridge therefore may have been specially embellished for the tournament with temporary additions.
A local minister, the Rev. Lee Ker, confirms which bridge was used at the tournament by relating in his book on Kilwinning that the tournament procession passed over the Water of Lugton by "what is now called the Tournament Bridge, but which was then situated about 100 yards nearer the Castle and had three arches instead of two".Ker, Rev William Lee (1900). Kilwinning Pub. A. W. Cross, Kilwinning. P. 326. This distance coincides with a weir today and an old path from the castle leads directly to it. Dane Love states that the bridge used by the tournament had been built by the 12th Earl in 1811.Love, Dane (2003). Ayrshire: Discovering a County. Pub. Fort. Ayr. . P. 54. In contemporary reports of the tournament no special mention of the bridge is made, suggesting that it was already a well established feature of the estate by that time and not an extravagant new feature specially built for the event.
LauchlanLauchlan, Roy (1989). Questions & Answers about the Montgomerie Family and the 1839 Tournaments, Pub. Kilwinning & District Preservation Society. P. 12. confuses the issue by stating that an older bridge with three arches existed 100 yards up from the present one, however he states that the present bridge was built for the tournament. The old three arched bridge in fact still existed in 1840Leighton, John M. (1850).Strath Clutha or the Beauties of the Clyde. Pub. Joseph Swan Engraver. Glasgow. Facing P. 229. and at least as late as 1843.The Ayrshire Wreath MDCCCXLIII (1843): a collection of original pieces, in prose and verse, chiefly by native authors, on subjects relating to Ayrshire. Pub. H. Crawford & Son. Kilmarnock. Facing Title page.The Inquirer (1969). Journal of the Abbey Soc of Kilwinning. V.1, No.5.
The Eglinton Bridge had what was probably light with oil lamps as can be seen in the 1811 engraving and the twin towers at either end were both joined by masonry work and not by cast-iron work as in the present day two arched bridge. The Gothic embellishments on the engravings of the 1839 Tournament show that the oil lamps were removed for the event.
Construction of the 'new' Tournament Bridge
The new bridge may have been erected by the 13th Earl at some time between 1843 and 1856 as part of the total re-modelling of the course of the Lugton Water which had been first undertaken by the 12th Earl (1740–1819)Landscape of the Knights. The Eglinton Story. Rub. Irvine Development Corporation. 1992. p. 27. and which included the alteration of its course, the removal of the lakes or ponds and the creation of several weirs. The Lugton Water is liable to severe floodsThe Eglinton Archive. and damage to the easily broken cast-iron work by the force of the current, may have been a reason for its reconstruction at a different site; a severe 'Great Storm' in Ayrshire is recorded as having damaged or destroyed several buildings and structures in February 1856.Mackay, James (1996), William Wallace : Brave Heart. Pub. Edinburgh & London : Mainstream. . p. 14. The first Ordnance Survey map of 1856 shows the two arched bridge in position, a weir at the position of the old bridge and by this time the old lake had gone, replaced by a canalised Lugton Water with several weirs.
Ironically the strengthening work done on the 'new' bridge to create an extra arch of bricks in addition to the cast iron, may have weakened the structure, contributing to its eventual partial collapse. The army used the bridge extensively with large lorries and even tanks crossing over it.
The lower courses of ashlar– Ashlar on the bridge abutments and central pier were vermiculate.– Vermiculate stonework At some point the height of the weir beneath had been raised using an odd assortment of re-used stonework; this would have increased the depth and extent of the waters behind it. The central pier and the original weir had used reworked but re-cycled stone, probably from Kilwinning Abbey; as illustrated by a stone window surround recovered during restoration work (See illustration).
Examination of the top of the outer towers shows that something was attached to the centres, the 'plug' hole still being present. It is possible that the holes are related to the method of lifting them into position during construction work. The larger towers are capped with cement and nothing is therefore visible. During restoration work (2008) electricity power cables or possibly gas pipes were located leading to the bridge and they may have served some form of lighting on the bridge. These are not visible in the available illustrations. The Eglinton estate had its own gasworks and later its own power station, so it would have been natural to provide lighting on the bridge. The old OS maps show that by 1897 the gas works had been established here to supply the castle and offices, whilst by 1911 this had been replaced by an electricity works; the present day park workshop.
The larger and taller inner towers have been re-used from the older bridge, this being confirmed by the presence of ornate carving as infill within one of the larger towers. The curtain walls and the smaller and lower outer towers are made from a different type of stone and, as stated, the towers have a number of architectural differences, suggesting that they were made specifically for the 'new' Tournament Bridge (See photographs). During work on the central pier it was found that some of the hidden infill work is vermiculate ashlar from the 'old' bridge.
The cast-iron sections of the arches are numbered and some of the sequence are absent, suggesting that these missing sections may have been damaged previously beyond repair and were not used therefore in the 'new' bridge.
Previous Eglinton bridges that crossed the Lugton Water
Views of the 'new' c1845 Tournament Bridge
The Tournament Bridge and WWII