Old Bridge House

The Old Bridge House is located on the western end of the Devorgilla Bridge by a shared parking area. I visited not long after the house opened for the day on 18 July 2019 as a starting point for a walking tour of Dumfries. The worker(s) were very kind and knowledgable about the history of the building and the locality in general.

Different exhibits throughout the house preserve a variety of artifacts helping to contextualize what life has been like during the operation of the house. Technically, the house is still in operation in the sense of serving as a place for Devorgilla Bridge travelers to learn about the bridge with or without traversing it. More of a museum these days, though the functionality of the house has changed over time.

Fell over the Old Bridge House in Dumfries whilst trying to find the Burns Centre. Lucky for us, as it's quite a sweet, if brief visit to a 17th century house, without toilet or running water, that was occupied until 1959 (last occupant raised 6 kids on one floor of the house, then split into two flats). Originally built to house a cask maker, it is built into the bridge that crosses over to Dumfries itself from Maxwelltown (?). I know this because a remarkably helpful man told us all of this and more when we wandered in (we also had a right royal moan about the Edinburgh trams, but then again who wouldn't?).

The items on display are a little mind boggling - no description cards and for some reason, there are displays of childrens toys from the last century, dentistry and living quarters. Just not sure why here and what the intent is? If I understood the meaning of the displays, this would definitely go up to a 4 star. It's free too and definitely something to support remaining so.

worth a visit, only takes half an hour to get round it, but its free to the public, and the kids love it. They even give little quizzes out to the kids. Not like usual boring museums