Glencush Bridge

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A four-span road bridge, built c.1840, carrying Ballyheather Road over Burn Dennet. Roughly coursed rubble abutments, spandrels and parapets; sandstone string course to arch spring and carriageway level; segmental sandstone coping to parapet. Four elliptical-headed arches with ashlar local sandstone voussoirs and keystone (that to west is flood arch); V-shaped sandstone cutwaters to piers (partially repaired). Arch soffits are cement rendered.

The carriageway is approximately 6m wide. Parapet walls splay to east and west of carriageway terminating at each end in square piers with sandstone coping.

The bridge is located on a rural road within agricultural land; riverbank bounded to either side by wire fencing; farm to north-west.

Roof N/A
Walling Roughly coursed rubble
Windows N/A
Rainwater goods N/A

Historical information

The tender for 'building a bridge of three 21 feet arches over the River Burndennett, between the townlands of Brosney and Glencush…on the road from Londonderry and Dunnemana' was advertised by the County Tyrone Grand Jury in mid-May 1840. Therefore it is probable that work on this bridge commenced later that year on that following. The engineer / architect responsible for the original design was James Barry Farrell (1810-93), the then County Surveyor for Tyrone. He left this post in August 1840, however, and it is possible that the bridge as built - with four arches instead of three as originally specified - was the result of modifications made by his successor, a Mr. Richardson, who was appointed immediately following Farrell's departure.

The bridge is shown on the 1854 OS six-inch county map as 'Stranabrosny Bridge' - the name borrowed from the townland to the western side of the river. It is marked as such on subsequent maps up unilt at least 1951, but appears as 'Glencush Bridge' (after the townland to the eastern side) on maps from 1971. The name 'Glencush Bridge' also appears on what seems to be an original (i.e. 1840-41) inscribed panel on the northern parapet, thus suggesting that this has always been its 'official' name.

References: Primary Sources
1 OS County series map, Tyrone sheet 2, 1833, 1854, 1905
2 'Londonderry Standard', 27 May 1840, p.4
3 'Vindicator', 19 August 1840, p.3
4 OS 1:1250 map, 1951
5 OS 1:10000 map, 1971

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

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

A substantial four-span bridge, built c.1840, carrying Ballyheather Road over Burn Dennet. This large bridge is well proportioned and detailed with local pink ashlar stone voussoirs and string courses. The bridge is an important example of mid-nineteenth century engineering work and makes a positive contribution to its uinspoiled rural setting.