Bridge

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A single arch cut stone road bridge over the Gelvin River on the Derryork Road.

A single segmental arch of approximately 8 metre span with well cut rock face voissoirs with tooled margins. Soffit or intrados of arch in cut stone with inclined beds as the vault of the bridge is on a slight skew. On either side of the arch the abutments are battered and built in rockfaced ashlar sandstone.

There are no breakwaters. The walls of the bridge are carried up to form a good parapet finished with squared copings and forming rounded ends at each extremity. The parapet walls are 30 metres in length and the carriage width 5 metres.

The bridge is sited in pleasant agricultural landscape. About 80 metres downstream the river turns at right angles to negotiate the railway embankment formed c1880s when the railway was established between Limavady and Dungiven.

Historical information

The bridge is probably mid 19th century. Bridges built on the skew, i.e. not at right angles to river bed, became common after the development of the railways c1830s/ 1840s. Orthogonal skew designs were being constructed with brick or stone vaulting curved with mathematical precision.

References

Primary Source
1. O.S. map 1st Rev. 1856-58 Co Londonderry sheet. 25

Secondary Source
1. W.A. McCutcheon – The Industrial Archaeology of Northern Ireland p. 16 .

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A fine robust mid 19th cent. bridge built in coursed sandstone on a slight skew.