Church Bridge

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A double-span random rubble road bridge, built c.1790, carrying Sloughan Road over Black Water River. Random rubble parapets and spandrels with varying styles of cast-iron wall-ties; splayed random rubble abutments; rubble coping to parapet. Two segmental-headed arches with rubble voussoirs; V-shaped cutwaters and random rubble arch soffit.

The carriageway is approximately 5m wide. Parapet wall continues beyond bridge at east and west to form boundary wall between road level and river bank; access to the river at north-east, adjacent to house on river bank.

Setting

The bridge is located in a rural landscape surrounded mainly by agricultural land.

Roof N/A
Walling Random rubble
Windows N/A
RWG N/A

Historical information

The bridge is shown, uncaptioned, on the first edition OS map of 1833, beside the parish church. A ‘Pound’ and ‘Old Mills’ are also shown. In subsequent editions the bridge is captioned ‘Church Bridge’. However, by the second edition (1854) the old church is in ruins and a new church has been built on the other side of the river.

Townland Valuations record both old and new churches. The old church is valued at £2.12s and in 1855 the new church is written into the records with a note stating that it was built in 1848. It is valued at £27.10s. In Griffith’s and subsequent valuations the site of the old church is simply listed as a graveyard.

OS Memoirs comment on the old church, “West Longfield parish church is situated 1 mile to the west of the town of Drumquin…The average attendance is 200 persons and the total congregation 1,128 persons. The building is very small and plain. It has no steeple [and] is 65 feet long…It was repaired about 12 years ago at a cost of 20 pounds. The church will accommodate 300 persons.” (p.129) Lewis describes it as “a small ancient edifice surmounted by a cupola.” (p.244)

The bridge appears, stylistically, to date from the late-eighteenth century and may have been built at about the same time as the old church.

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/6/33/1 – First Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1833)
2. PRONI OS/6/6/33/2 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1854)
3. PRONI OS/6/6/33/3 – Third Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1905)
4. PRONI VAL/1/A/6/33 – Townland Valuation Map (1828-40)
5. PRONI VAL/1/B/635A-B – Townland Valuation (1828-40)
6. PRONI VAL/2/A/6/33 – Griffith’s Valuation Map (1856-64)
7. PRONI VAL/2/B/6/37 – Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64)
8. PRONI VAL/12/D/6/33C – Annual Revisions Map
9. PRONI VAL/12/B/35/21A-F – Annual Revisions (1860-1923)

Secondary Sources

1. Day, A. and P. McWilliams, eds. “OS Memoirs of Ireland, Parishes of County Tyrone I, 1821, 1823, 1833-36, Vol. 5.” Belfast: Institute of Irish Studies, 1990.

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 double-span bridge, built c.1790, carrying Sloughan Road over The Black Water River. This bridge, built of rubble stone, is well constructed and detailed; the cutwaters add to its interest. Its survival relatively unaltered is of note and it is a fine example of the type.