Bridge over Ballinderry River

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

This is a four-arch rubble stone hump-backed bridgeover the Ballinderry River, built c.1800. It has roughly hewn rubble stonewalls with regular chamfered cut and splayed stone capping to the roadside. The bridge is orientated spanning roughly North - South.

The arches are segmental-headed with dressed cut-stone voussoirs. The arch soffits are of smooth render. There are splayed cut-stone cutwaters between the arches, with splayed capping. Squared metal wall tie straps/pattress plates surmount each cutwater, one to the left and right. There is a modern concrete external staircase to the East side of the bridge on the South bank. There are metal railings to the stair. A random rubble stone buttress wall is located below the stair, which is partially demolished. There is a further buttress wall to the North bank side.

There is a cut stone datestone recessed into the West side of the bridge on the South bank. The engraved writing is not readable.

The bridge is approximately 10 metres in width.

The bridge is located to the South of Ballinderry within the Ardagh / Derrycrin (Eglish) townland to the Northeast of Cookstown.

Historical information

A bridge, marked ‘Ballinderry Bridge’ is shown on this site on the OS map 1832, and all others thereafter. The bridge’s humped back and four arches suggest it may date from the early 1800s.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI OS/6/5/49/1 OS map, Co. Londonderry, sheet 49, 1832
2 PRONI OS/6/5/49/2 OS map, Co. Londonderry, sheet 49, 1857
3 PRONI OS/6/5/49/3 OS map, Co. Londonderry, sheet 49, 1904-06
4 PRONI OS/6/5/49/4 OS map, Co. Londonderry, sheet 49, 1928
5 EHS OS map, Co. Londonderry, sheet 49, published 1937

Secondary sources
1 McCutcheon, W.A., 'The industrial archaeology of Northern Ireland' (Belfast, HMSO, 1980 [for reference]
2 O’Keefe, Peter and Simington, Tom, ‘Irish stone bridges…’ (Irish Academic Press, 1991) [for reference]

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

A four-arch rubble stone hump-backed bridge over the Ballinderry River, built c.1800. This is a robust and pleasingly proportioned example of an early nineteenth century bridge. Although roughly detailed this is entirely appropriate to the rustic character. It is well preserved and in near original condition. Bridges of this era in daily use, especially in an unaltered state, are becoming increasingly rare.