The Penny Brig
I can't go far in Aberlour without being reminded
of James Fleming. There's his memorial in the cemetery. There's
the Fleming Hall and the Fleming Hospital, both of which this
generous, modest, hard-working man paid for. And, of course, there's
the Aberlour Distillery, which he built in 1879 (well, I couldn't
very well keep away from there!).
But perhaps the most dramatic of all his legacies
is the suspension bridge over the River Spey. For centuries, there
had only been one way to get across the Spey from Aberlour to
Wester Elchies - by ferry boat. This was normally safe enough,
but in winter in those days the river did tend to run very high
(occasionally causing disastrous floods, but that's another tale).
And the Spey, don't forget, is the fastest flowing of all Britain's
rivers, even in high summer.
The story goes that, one terrible day back in the
1890s, a child fell overboard into the swirling waters, was swept
away and drowned. James Fleming was a soft-hearted man at the
best of times, but the news of this poignant tragedy struck a
deep chord, for he had married too late in life to have children
of his own. In his customary unobtrusive manner, he added a clause
to his will bequeathing £500 (a big sum then) towards the
building of a bridge to replace the ferry.
Although Fleming died in 1895, the suspension bridge
was not actually built until 1902. It's still there today, one
of Aberlour's most handsome landmarks. The official name is the
Victoria Bridge, but we all call it the Penny Brig. That's because
anyone using it on certain days of the year (one in March and
one in November) had to pay a penny toll. The custom has ended
now, but I still remember old James Fleming 's generosity every
time I go across.
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