Agivey Bridge

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A twin-arched masonry bridge of 1850 carrying the Coleraine - Kilrea road over the Aghadowey River.

The abutments and piers are of squared basalt blocks, brought to courses; the remainder of the bridge is of roughly-dressed random basalt. At each end of the pier is a curved pointed cutwater rising to arch spring level. The arches are of segmental profile and equal in size. Although their voussoirs are of roughly-dressed basalt, the soffits are of brick. A dressed string course wraps around the quoins, runs through the arches at arch spring level and continues around the tops of the cutwaters. There is also a string course along the base of the parapets. The tops of the parapets have been largely rebuilt in the relatively recent past in squared basalt. They are coped with roughly-dressed basalt blocks and terminate in out-projecting capped piers. There is a modern steel plaque at the SW end of the NW parapet stating the name of the bridge and river.

Between the pier and parapet string course on the upstream (NW) face of the bridge is a plaque reading: “S Gordon/ County Surveyor/ John Williamson/ Builder 1850”. There is also a modern steel plaque at the SW end of the NW parapet stating the name of the bridge and river.
The bed of the river is pitched with stones and there is a shallow fall on its downstream side. The left bank on the downstream side has also been faced with stones.

Setting
The bridge lies in open countryside and is surrounded by trees and fields.

Historical information

An uncaptioned bridge is shown at this location on the 1831 OS six-inch map, but there is no explicit mention of it in the 1836 Ordnance Survey Memoir for Agivey.
A plaque on the pier of the present structure records that it was designed by Stewart Gordon, County Surveyor for Londonderry, and built by John Williamson in 1850. It is evidently a replacement of the previous bridge and was undoubtedly financed under the Grand Jury Presentment system.
It is explicitly captioned as Articlave Bridge on the 1853 OS map and subsequent editions.

References - Primary sources:
1. PRONI OS/6/5/12/1, First edition OS six-inch map, Co Londonderry sheet 12 (1831).
2. OS Memoir for Agivey Parish (1836). Reprinted as A. Day & P. McWilliams (eds), Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland: Parishes of County Londonderry VI, 1831-6, North-East Londonderry, p.43 (Belfast: Institute of Irish Studies, 1993).
3. Plaque on bridge (1850).
4. PRONI OS/6/5/12/2, Second edition OS six-inch map, Co Londonderry sheet 12 (1853).

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
F. Structural System
H-. Alterations detracting from building

Criteria for listing: historic interest

R. Age
S. Authenticity
V. Authorship
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

A wel proportioned twin-arched stone and brick road bridge of 1850. Although of relatively modest architectural scale, this bridge nevertheless has a modicum of embellishment and is also of note because of the use of brick rather than stone in its arch soffits. It is also of local historical interest in having an attested designer, builder and date of erection.

General comments

Listing Criteria R - Age; and S - Authenticity also apply.