BALLYVOY BRIDGE

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A mid-19th century arched masonry road bridge over the Carey River. This single-arch bridge carries the main road (A2) between Cushendall and Ballycastle over the Carey River a short distance SE of Ballyvoy village.

The abutments comprise rusticated and margined sandstone blocks laid to regular courses, with similarly detailed quoins.
The arch is of segmental profile and has vee-jointed, rusticated and margined voussoirs. Its soffit is of plain sandstone blocks. The spandrels and parapets are of finely dressed sandstone blocks laid to regular courses. Dressed sandstone string courses run across both faces above the arch crown and continue around the parapets' out-projecting terminal piers. The parapets are comparatively low and are coped with oversailing sandstone blocks, whilst their piers have shallow pyramidal caps. Vertically-laid sandstone blocks are set into both parapets at regular intervals.

The bed of the river has been concreted to minimise scouring. There is also a small weir across the river immediately downstream to slow up the current as it passes under the bridge. On the right bank at the bridge's downstream side (NW corner) is a flight of concrete steps to facilitate access to the river for fishermen.

Setting:
The bridge is surrounded to all sides by open fields and small patches of woodland, it carries the main road (A2) between Cushendall and Ballycastle over the Carey River a short distance SE of Ballyvoy village.

Materials:
Walling Sandstone
Dressings Sandstone

Historical information

An un-named bridge is shown at this location on the 1832 OS map, on one of the two roads which ran over the mountain between Cushendall and Ballycastle at that time. This particular stretch of road was subsequently incorporated into the route of the Antrim Coast Road which was built between 1832 and 1842 by the Commissioners of Public Works in Ireland. The 1835 Ordnance Survey Memoir noted that the new road was due to open in that year. The bridge is explicitly cited "Ballyvoy Bridge" on the 1857 map and subsequent editions.

Judging by the quality of its construction, the present bridge is probably a replacement erected as part of the new road scheme. It may have been designed by Charles Lanyon who was the County Antrim Surveyor at that time (although a Board of Works architect is equally possible in this instance).

References - Primary Sources:
1. PRONI OS/6/1/9/1. OS 1:10,560 map, Co Antrim sheet 9 (1832).
2. 1835 Ordnance Survey Memoir for Culfeightrin Parish. Reproduced by A. Day & P. McWilliams (eds), Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland: Parishes of Co Antrim IX - North Antrim Coast and Rathlin, p.46 (Belfast: Institute of Irish Studies, 1992).
3. PRONI OS/6/1/9/2. OS 1:10,560 map, Co Antrim sheet 9 (1857).
4. PRONI OS/6/1/9/3. OS 1:10,560 map, Co Antrim sheet 9 (1903-04).
5. PRONI OS/6/1/9/4. OS 1:10,560 map, Co Antrim sheet 9 (1922).

References - Secondary Sources:
1. F.W. Hamond, Antrim Coast & Glens Industrial Heritage, p.76 (Belfast: HMSO, 1991).

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
F. Structural System
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

R. Age
S. Authenticity
T. Historic Importance
V. Authorship
Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

A mid-19th century single-arched masonry road bridge over the Carey River which carries the main A2 road between Cushendall and Ballycastle, south east of Ballyvoy. The style, proportion and high quality of construction of this sandstone bridge is typical of the many such structures on the main road between Larne and Ballycastle which were erected as part of the Antrim Coast Road scheme in the 1830s and early '40s. The association with this scheme, the largest civil engineering project in Ireland in its day, enhances its historical interest. The new road and its associated bridges, with which this bridge has group value (Corratavey Bridge HB05/04/001, Altheela Bridge HB05/04/002, Bushburn Bridge HB05/04/003 and Altadreen Bridge HB05/04/004), improved social and economic networking throughout the region and underline the bridge's local importance. Possibly designed by Charles Lanyon, the fabric of this bridge is largely unaltered.