Bridge, Limekiln Lane, Cookstown, Co Tyrone

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

This is a single-arch rubble stone road bridge over a former railway line, c.1855.

It has part-overgrown snecked rock-faced stone walls. The wall at road level has rounded stone capping to the centre and rubble stone capping to the outer edges. There is a single segmental-headed arch with rubble stone voussoirs, and rubble stone soffits. The bridge is sited spanning a former Belfast Ballymena railway company line from Randalstown. It forms part of a series of railway bridges, built as part of the line between Dungannon and Cookstown. The archway has largely been filled in. The field to the east side has been substantially raised in level.

Historical information

This bridge was built c.1855-56 to as part of Belfast & Ballymena Railway Company’s line from Randalstown to Cookstown, which officially opened on 10th November 1856. The line’s engineering architect was Charles Lanyon, the contractor, William Dargan. The line closed in August 1950.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI VAL/2D/6/3/1-2 Valuation plan of Cookstown, 1859-82 [2 sheets]
2 PRONI VAL/12E/171/1/1-2 Valuation plan of Cookstown, 1892-97 [2 sheets]
3 PRONI OS/33/1/1-5 OS plan of Cookstown, 1895 [5 sheets]
4 PRONI OS/9/10/2/1-2 OS plan of Cookstown, index map, 1895 [2 sheets]
5 PRONI OS/9/10/3/1-5 OS plan of Cookstown, 1895 [5 sheets]
6 PRONI VAL/12E/171/2/1-3 Valuation plan of Cookstown, 1897-1910 [3 sheets]
7 PRONI OS/33/2/1-4 OS plan, 1909 & 1918 [4 sheets]
8 PRONI VAL/3G/142/1 /1-4 Valuation plan of Cookstown, 1936-37 [4 sheets]
9 PRONI VAL/3G/142/2/1-4 Valuation plan of Cookstown, 1937-51

Secondary sources
1 McCutcheon, W.A., 'The industrial archaeology of Northern Ireland' (Belfast, HMSO, 1980), pp.172-3
2 Johnson, Stephen, ‘Johnson’s atlas & gazetteer of the railways of Ireland’, (Midland Publishing Ltd., 1997), p.103

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

This is a single-arch rubble stone road bridge over a former railway line, c.1855. This small-scale bridge represents the transport heritage of Cookstown and its connections with the development of the Northern Ireland rail network. As such it is worthy of record but it is of a late date and not of special interest. Although the railway has long since been removed, it continues to add interest to its environs. It shares group value with other nearby related railway related structures (HB09/13/019) & (HB09/13/029) & (HB09/13/031).