Painting of Dryburgh bridge found on back of map after 150 years

Key Points:

• A watercolour painting of the Dryburgh Suspension Bridge in the Scottish Borders, created by geologist and artist Benjamin Peach in the 1870s, was discovered on the back of a geological map after being unnoticed for over 150 years.
• Luis Albornoz-Parra of the British Geological Survey found the artwork while researching building stones of Dryburgh Abbey for Historic Environment Scotland.
• The painting, believed to date from a year after the bridge's completion in 1872, provides a rare visual snapshot of the iconic structure and highlights Peach's dual talents as a geologist and artist.
• Field slips, used by geologists for recording observations during fieldwork, occasionally contain sketches like Peach's, which document the geological landscape, such as the volcanic Eildon Hills near Dryburgh.
• Benjamin Peach was a prominent 19th-century geologist known for his contributions to the Highlands Controversy, a major geological debate about rock formations in Scotland.