Tullylish Bridge

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Tullylish Bridge, built c.1818, is a single-span masonry arch bridge which carries a minor road over the River Bann.

The abutments are founded directly on the bedrock and are of large dressed granite blocks set in regular courses. The remainder of the bridge is of random rubble blackstone, including the arch soffit. Its segmental arch is embellished with dressed granite voussoirs having a slightly raised keystone. The parapets terminate in square piers (partly of granite), and are coped with flat dressed granite blocks which project slightly over the bridge’s outside faces. The deck is slightly curved and carries a 1½-lane road and footpath (on its W side).

Setting

The bridge is located in the semi-rural landscape of Tullylish, with two-storey terrace dwellings to north-east; bungalow to north-west; church hall and former Sexton’s House (HB17/02/021B) to south with All Saint's Parish Church (HB17/02/021A) to south-west.

Roof: N/A
Walling: Stone
Windows: N/A
RWG: N/A

Historical information

An uncaptioned bridge is depicted here on the 1833 OS map. According to the 1834 Ordnance Survey Memoir, “Tullylish Bridge has one arch of 40ft, erected in the year 1818 at an expense of £475 to the county. McCutcheon notes that there was a previous bridge here, erected in the early 1600s. It is captioned Tullylish Bridge on the 1860 OS map and subsequent editions.

References – Primary sources:

1. PRONI OS/6/3/26/1. First edition OS six-inch map, Co Down sheet 26 (1833).
2. OS Memoir for Tullylish Parish (1834). Reprinted as A. Day & P. McWilliams (eds), Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland:
Parishes of County Down III, 1833-8, Mid-Down, p.142 (Belfast: Institute of Irish Studies, 1992).
3. PRONI OS/6/3/26/2. Second edition OS six-inch map, Co Down sheet 26 (1860).
4. PRONI OS/6/3/26/3. Third edition OS six-inch map, Co Down sheet 26 (1903-04).
5. PRONI OS/6/3/26/4. Fourth edition OS six-inch map, Co Down sheet 26 (1903-17).

References – Secondary sources:

1. W.A. McCutcheon, The Industrial Archaeology of N. Ireland, p.35 (Belfast: HMSO, 1980).

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
F. Structural System

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Tullylish Bridge is a single-span masonry arch road bridge of 1818 over the River Bann. The use of dressed stonework in its abutments and voussoirs is of interest, rubble masonry being more usual in early 19th century bridges. That it was built as a single wide span, as opposed to two narrower ones, is also of not and more typical of the mid 19th century and later. It is also the site of a previous bridge, built in the early 1600s, and represents the development of infrastructure in the district.