Building bridges

The River Tay is famous, or infamous, for the tragic collapse of the rail bridge across its firth in 1879, which inspired William ‘worst poet in the world’ McGonagall to some comically appalling verse. But the seven arches of the road bridge in Dunkeld were sturdily, stonily built by Thomas Telford in 1809. Construction was part funded by the

Dukes of Atholl, who were permitted to charge townsfolk a toll until the £10,000 investment was recouped. Parliamentary records suggest they kept no accounts for 43 years, during which it’s estimated they collected one to two thousand pounds a year, and then claimed they were owed £59,401 6s. 9d. The tolls proved incendiary, as you’ll see…