Ballagh Bridge (old),

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Built to carry the Newcastle – Kilkeel road over the Crock Horn Stream. It is a mixture of rounded granite fieldstones and split Silurian rubble. The arch springs directly from the bedrock on the left bank and from a low abutment on the right side. Two construction phases are evident in the soffit - the upstream section is 2.3m wide and the downstream side 4.6m wide. The downstream voussoirs are of split Silurian whereas those on the upstream side are of dressed granite. This suggests that the upstream side is the later extension. Masonry projections for the timber falsework used to lay the arches are evident at springing level on the right bank. The parapet on the upstream side is ruinous and that on the downstream side is completely missing. The whole structure is heavily overgrown and neglected. The left bank on the downstream side is pitched with granite blocks and concrete. The bridge is now used to access fields.

Historical information

Ballaghanery Bridge is explicitly cited at this location on Moll’s 1714 map of Ireland. It is also shown on the 1834 OS 6” map. The 1859 edition shows a new line of road immediately to its south. This road had been extended north over the new Ballagh Bridge by the 1901 edition – the old bridge was therefore superseded in the second half of the 19th century.

Primary Sources:
1. PRONI - OS 6/3/53/1 (1834 OS map).
2. PRONI- OS 6/3/53/2 (1859 OS map).
3. PRONI- OS 6/3/53/3 (1901 OS map).

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

The small size and relatively crude construction of this bridge suggests that it is probably the same as that shown on Moll’s map. If so, it is therefore of early 18th (if not 17th century) date, making it one of the earliest to survive in the province. Its widening illustrates the growing volume of traffic along this road, and it also provides an interesting stylistic contrast with the nearby later 19th century Ballagh Bridge (HB16/01/043).