Bell's Bridge

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A five-span road-over-river stone bridge, built 1886, set on a north-south axis carrying Mountjoy Road over the Strule River. Segmental arches have dressed sandstone voussoirs sprung from V-shaped cutwaters; squared and dressed stone piers; squared rubble spandrels and parapets with cement-rendered saddleback coping, cement-rendered soffits. The bridge has a tarmac double-carriageway flanked by widened granite pedestrian pavements. Parapets over each cutwater have later cast-iron lamp stands with foundry mark embossed “D. W. Windsor - Moddesson, Herts [Hertfordshire], England.”

Setting:-
The bridge is situated alongside the modern pedestrian bridge of the Strule Arts Centre to west, and the modern Strule Bridge to east; south embankment has river-level pedestrian pavement and substantial carriageway-level embankment stone wall to southwest, also to northwest, two-storey-over-raised-basement Strain’s Bar to southeast, grassy embankments to northeast.

Historical information

The bridge is shown on the third edition OS map of 1905-6.

The bridge was built between 1883 and 1886, and a commonly held belief about the origin of the name links the bridge to the bell towers of St. Columba Church of Ireland Church (HB11/13/002) and Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church (HB11/11/001A), which are both visible from the carriageway. However, according to Dr. Haldane Mitchell, the bridge was in fact named after local baker and grocer James Bell, whose original premises was opposite Stain’s Bar on Bridge Street (Omagh Tourist Information Centre). James Bell of 34 Bridge Street was listed in 1882 as being a Grocer, Baker, Coal and Manure Merchant. Dr. E. C. Thompson at one time recommended Bell’s bread to his patients. The Model School was built in 1859 and some years later he acquired land behind it where he built the first Model Bakery. The Calvin family, who lived in Park View, ran the bakery from the early 1900s until after the Great War when William McLetchie acquired it and he and his family ran it until its closure on 28th February 1976. (Mitchell, p.144)

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/6/35/1-First Edition OS Map (1833)
2. PRONI OS/6/6/35/2-Second Edition OS Map (1854)
3. PRONI OS/6/6/35/3-Third Edition OS Map (1905-6)
4. PRONI VAL/1/D/6/6 –Town Plan of Omagh (1824-44)
5. PRONI VAL/2/D/6/17–Town Plan of Omagh (18549-1869)
6. PRONI VAL/12/B/6/36 –Valuation Revisions (1860-1929)
7. PRONI VAL/12/B/41/37-Valuation Revisions (1903-1929)
8. PRONI VAL/12/E/186/1/5 –Town Plan of Omagh (1880-1909)

Secondary Sources

1. (Omagh Tourist Information Centre, Omagh: Historic Town Trail, www.omagh.gov.uk Information)
2. Mitchell, H, ed. “Images of Omagh and District. Vol. 6.” Omagh: Rotary Club of Omagh, 1998.

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

Bell’s Bridge, a late-nineteenth-century five-span road-over-river stone bridge that carries Mountjoy Road over the Strule River is a good example of a substantial masonry bridge. Also of note is the fact that its name connects it to an historic business in the town. This is the major crossing point to the town centre and its character reflects its importance.