Bridge over Owenalena Burn

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A 1920’s reinforced concrete bridge supported on earlier piers and abutments. Work is being carried out on the bridge at present including improvements to the approach road. Part of rubble stone parapet walls remain at either end. These walls terminate in a downward curve similar to others in Co Londonderry.

The bridge carries the Corrick Road over the Owenalena River a short distance above its confluence with the River Roe at the lower end of the Cluntygeeragh “U” shaped valley. The former concrete bridge has been replaced by a new reinforced concrete beam bridge. Parapet walls have been rebuilt in random rubble stonework without former detail.

Historical information

The 1st Building Survey describes the bridge as “A very plain bridge in reinforced concrete comprising a slab with parapet walls resting on abutments and a cutwater of rusticated stone. C.L. Beddie designed a bridge at Corick over a river in Co Londonderry in 1920 using the Hennebique system of reinforced concrete design. This may be it”. It has now been replaced. Francois Hennebique (1842-1921) French pioneer ,who developed a complete system of concrete reinforced with steel bars and hooked connections in 1892, evolving earlier patents by Monier (1823-1906). He called his system ferro-concrete and used it for the first reinforced concrete bridge at Viggen, Switzerland (1894).

A local resident, Mr Patrick McCloskey, said that the first bridge erected here was constructed in wood c1907. It was replaced c1940s by a concrete bridge. (This is at variance with the historical notes in the 1st Building Survey).

References

Secondary Sources
1. EHS 1st Building Survey
2. J S Curl – Dictionary of Architecture p.311
3. O.S. map 1924 Co Londonderry Sheet 25

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

An interesting example of an early 20th century reinforced concrete technique in a simple bridge structure following the methods of the French Engineer Francois Hennebique (1842-1921). The work is of historical significance in the Northern Ireland context. Unfortunately the bridge deck of c1920 has been replaced by a new concrete bridge in year 2000.