Annan Museum’s staff are appealing for help to bridge the gaps in their planned exhibition next month.
From September 6 they will commemorate and remember the town’s much loved and missed Jubilee and Cuthbertson Bridges in their exhibition which will be called Washed Away.
Flash floods at the end of October saw the force of the water in the River Annan sweep away 125 years of history by destroying the two iconic bridges in a matter of seconds.
The exhibition will feature items from the bridges themselves alongside people’s memories and photographs.
Councillor Archie Dryburgh, chairman of the Communities Directorate who lives in Annan, said: “The exhibition has been planned to coincide with the one-year anniversary of the loss of these historic bridges and it will be a good way of remembering these public landmarks.”
Parts of the bridges including the memorial plaque from the Cuthbertson Bridge – a registered war memorial – have been pulled from the river and will be retained and put on show at the exhibition.
There are plans to make benches from other pieces. Councillor Richard Brodie, chairman of the Annan the History Town Group, has raised the possibility of turning the tangled wreckage into a public work of art as a way of preserving some of the town’s heritage.
The council is to fund a £50,000 study into replacing them and the creation of a temporary footbridge is being discussed as a way to provide a river crossing in the meantime. A community action group has also been set up by local residents to get new bridges on the river in the future.
Stuart Thompson of Annan’s A Tale of Two Bridges Community Group has been involved in getting the exhibition under way and said: “We are very pleased to announce that the plaques from the bridges are on display in the museum for this exhibition.”
The Cuthbertson Bridge, which was completed in 1957, was erected in memory of Surgeon Lieutenant William Cuthbertson who died in the Second World War while the Jubilee Bridge near Brydekirk was erected in 1897 to commemorate Queen Victoria’s 60th year on the throne.
Annan Museum staff are asking the public to search their memories for information and stories relating to the bridges and also their attics and drawers for any pictures, postcards or film footage stashed away.
And they need them by August 15.
The exhibition will run from September 6 until October 31 and will also feature contributions from Annan Art Group, Solway Videos and Annan Camera Club.
While the main focus of the exhibition will be the bridges, it will also consider other things that have been affected by the River Annan and the Solway over the years.
They can attend Annan The History Town’s Summer Festival Memories and Mysteries event this weekend in St Andrews Church Hall and share stories with the team there, or follow Annan – A Tale of Two Bridges Community Group on Facebook and share items with them online.
