Mount Mill Bridge Glen Road Drummiller Newry Co. Down BT34 1QS

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Mount Mill Bridge is a single-span segmental arch road bridge over the Newry River, dating from c1810, located on Glen Road, approximately 3.5 miles from Newry, immediately north of the Newry Bypass at the Sheepbridge exit. It is constructed of random-coursed faced granite and is aligned NW-SE and carries a flat (rather than hump-backed) carriageway.
Located to the E of Mount Mills complex (HB16/21/098A & B) (Corn Mill site IHR 03488) and W of a Motte (SMR: DOW046:002). The bridge is surrounded by open countryside to all sides.

Replacement random-coursed rock-faced stone with random-stone coping to road parapets either side of Glen Road.
SW elevation of bridge comprises a segmental arch with cut granite voussoirs. Much of the SW flanking walls were obscured by vegetation at the time of survey, but the visible areas comprising spandrels and abutments are constructed of random-coursed faced granite. Slight batter to abutments.
NE elevation of bridge not accessible at time of survey.
Arch soffit and piers are coursed with random rubble stone at base.

Setting:
Stone bridge located on Glen Road, approximately 3.5 miles from Newry. The bridge crosses the Newry River and is aligned NW-SE. It is located to the E of Mount Mills complex (HB16/21/098A & B) (Corn Mill site IHR 03488) and W of a Motte (SMR: DOW046:002). The bridge is surrounded by open countryside to all sides.
There is a 20th Century metal footbridge located to W side of bridge, allowing access to lands to S of river.

Materials:
Walling: random-coursed faced granite with random stone coping to parapets, cut granite voussoirs

Historical information

Mount Mill bridge dates from c1810 and was constructed at a crossing of the Newry River, east of Mount Mill, a corn mill complex of an earlier date (c1800). The bridge was constructed on the then estate of Arthur Innes Esq of Dromantine House, (High Sherriff of County Down in 1814). An estate map of Arthur Innes’ holdings in the Manor of Glen, dating to 1805, shows Mount Mill, the river (captioned ‘Blackwater River’) and the local road network. Mount Mill bridge does not appear on this map, and at its location there is a caption: ‘place for the Bridge to be made’. The bridge is shown, uncaptioned, on the first edition OS map of 1834, giving a secure date for the bridge of between 1805 and 1834.

The bridge is relatively sophisticated in its structure, with a segmental (rather than semi-circular) arch carrying a level (rather than hump-backed) carriageway. This suggests that skilled stonemasons worked on the bridge and that it may have been relatively costly to construct (McCutcheon). The construction of the bridge would have improved the road connection with Newry and no doubt made the nearby mill, which in 1805 was without a tenant, a more attractive business proposition. The bridge is captioned ‘Mount Mill Br[idge]’ on the second edition OS map of 1859 and subsequently.

In recent years, it would appear that the stone parapets have been rebuilt, most likely as a consequence of road improvement works.

References:
Primary Sources:
1. PRONI T1516/1 Map survey of Manor of Glen, Co Down, estate of Arthur Innes (1805)
2. PRONI OS/6/3/46/1 First edition Six Inch OS map (1834)
3. PRONI OS/6/3/46/2 Second edition Six Inch OS map (1859)
4. PRONI OS/6/3/46/3 Third edition Six Inch OS map (1903)
5. PRONI OS/6/3/46/4 Fourth edition Six Inch OS map (1919)

Secondary Sources:
6. McCutcheon, W A ‘The Industrial Archaeology of Northern Ireland’ Belfast: HMSO (1980)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Mount Mill Bridge is a single-span segmental arch road bridge over the Newry River, dating from c1810, located on Glen Road, approximately 3.5 miles from Newry. It is constructed of random-coursed faced granite but is of a common type with a single arch and replacement parapets. It is of insufficient special interest to meet the criteria for listing.