Bloody Bridge, (old)

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A single semicircular arch carries what is now a footpath over the Bloody Bridge River. It is of random rubble granite fieldstones with split undressed Silurian rubble voussoirs; the arch rises directly from the bedrock. It measures 6.2m across the parapets, with a 5.1m wide carriageway. There are two clear breaks in the soffit. The fact that the soffit on the upstream side is of rounded fieldstones whereas that on the down side is of split Silurian rubble suggests that the former is probably the earliest section which was widened on two occasions – from 2.4m to 3.6m to 6.4m.

The upstream parapet and spandrels have been rebuilt in the relatively recent past. There is a short length of roadway on the south side of the bridge.

Historical information

A bridge is marked here on Harris’s 1743 map and it is also where the main Newcastle – Kilkeel road crosses the river on the 1834 OS 6” map. The 1859 OS map shows it to have been superseded by a new bridge a short distance downstream. This river was originally known as the Midpace River but was apparently renamed after a massacre during the 1641 rebellion. Under orders from Sir Conn Magennis, George Russell of Rathmullan slayed 25 (or 50) Protestant prisoners of war from Newry. It is by no means certain, however, that there was a bridge here at this time; the 1830s Ordnance Survey Memoir for Kilkeel parish states that there was no such bridge when the massacre occurred. It is likely, however, that the bridge shown on Harris’s map and the present structure are the same. This would imply that it is therefore of early 18th century date, if not earlier.

Primary Sources:
1. PRONI – OS 6/3/49/1 (1834 OS map).
2. PRONI- OS 6/3/49/2 (1859 OS map).
3. A. Day 'OS Memoirs of Ireland, Parishes of County Down 1836 South Down' Vol 3 (QUB 1990).

Secondary Sources:
1. W. Harris, ‘The antient and present state of the county of Down’ (Dublin 1744).

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
D. Plan Form
F. Structural System
H+. Alterations enhancing the building
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

V. Authorship
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Stylistically, this bridge’s simple unembellished construction in random fieldstone is typical of the period preceding 1800. It also makes an interesting contrast with the mid 19th century bridge (HB 16/01/036) just downstream. It has an interesting name associated with the site of a massacre in 1641. Its successive widenings add to its historic interest in showing the growing volume of traffic along this route until its mid 19th century supersedure.