Rennie's Isle Swing Bridge

A rare cast-iron swing footbridge slightly hidden on the left bank of the Water of Leith, close to where it enters Leith Harbour, the Rennie's Isle Swing Bridge is located at the end of Dock Place in the heart of Leith. Designed around 1803 by the noted engineer John Rennie (1761 - 1821) and his associate Ralph Walker (1749 - 1824) and built shortly thereafter, the bridge crosses a short channel from the Water of Leith that once served as the entrance to the former East and West Docks which were built at this time by Rennie. These docks once lay in front of what is now the Scottish Government's Victoria Quay building but no longer exist.

Extending to 27m (89 feet) in length with a 10-m (33-foot) span over water, this graceful shallow-arched bridge is 4.7m (15 feet) wide and comprises a timber-planked deck with wrought-iron handrails along both sides. While no longer operational, the swing mechanism was controlled by a hand winch, with the two leaves of the bridge disengaging and pivoting in an anti-clockwise direction until they were enclosed within the wall of the channel. Having been closed for a few years, a programme of repair and conservation was begun in 2022 by owner Forth Ports, in conjunction with the neighbouring bar, Teuchter's Landing.

This is an exceptionally rare and early survival of a two-leaf swing bridge in Scotland and has been Category-A listed since 1976.


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