Careymill Bridge

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

An early 19th C twin-arched masonry road bridge over the Carey River just east of Ballycastle.

The bridge is of randomly-sized, roughly-squared sandstone brought to courses. The quoins of the abutments and pier are margined. There is an angled cutwater at the up and downstream ends of the pier, rising to arch spring level and capped with angled dressed sandstone slabs. The two arches are of equal size and of segmental profile, with finely-dressed sandstone voussoirs. Their soffits are of squared sandstone rubble. The road deck falls slightly from east to west and the parapets are coped with concrete of semicircular profile.

The bed of the river is pitched with stones to prevent undercutting; this pitching creates a small weir just beyond the downstream end of the bridge. Concrete footings have also been added to the abutments and pier for the same reason.

Both upstream banks have random sandstone rubble side walls.

Materials:
Bridge Coursed sandstone
Cutwater caps/ Voussoirs Dressed sandstone
Soffits Squared sandstone rubble
Parapet coping / Footings concrete

Setting:
The bridge crosses the Carey River just east of Ballycastle, on the Carey Mill Road which runs between the main A2 Cushendall-Ballycastle Road to the north and the Churchfield Road to the south.

Historical information

A bridge is depicted at this location on the 1832 OS map. However, it was not of sufficient importance to have been noted in the 1830s Ordnance Survey Memoirs.

It is explicitly captioned as 'Careymill Bridge' on the 1857 revision and subsequent editions. It takes its name from the cornmill immediately downstream on the left bank.

The bridge was probably built to access this mill from the main Ballycastle-Cushendun coast road to its north. Given that this is (and was) a very minor road, the original bridge is unlikely to have been rebuilt (for example, in a widened form). This bridge is therefore likely to have been the first at this location.

Its good quality of construction suggests an early 19th C erection date rather than earlier.

References - Primary Sources:
1. PRONI OS/6/1/9/1. OS 1:10,560 map, Co Antrim sheet 9 (1832).
2. 1830s 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 (Belfast: Institute of Irish Studies, 1994).
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).

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

R. Age
S. Authenticity
T. Historic Importance
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

An early 19th C twin-arched masonry road bridge over the Carey River just east of Ballycastle on the Carey Mill Road which runs between the main A2 Cushendall-Ballycastle Road to the north and the Churchfield Road to the south. It takes its name from the corn mill immediately downstream on the left bank. Much of the bridge's original historic fabric and detailing survives intact. It is constructed of randomly-sized, roughly-squared sandstone brought to courses with angled cutwaters at the up and downstream ends of the pier. The two arches are of equal size and of segmental profile, with finely-dressed sandstone voussoirs. Despite the parapets being coped with concrete and concrete footings being added to the abutments and pier, the bridge is of local and historical interest particularly with its association with the former corn mill.