Historic Buildings Record · Northern Ireland
Cumber Bridge
Raleagh, Newry, Mourne and Down, Northern Ireland
The record
- Designation
- Listed building, Grade B1
- Grade
- B1
- Type
- Bridge
- Date of listing
- 27 May 1980
- Date of construction
- 1820 - 1839
- Address
- Cumber Bridge, Downpatrick Road, Cumber / Raleagh, Ballynahinch, Co Down
- Townland
- Raleagh
- Council
- Newry, Mourne and Down
- Country
- Northern Ireland
- Coordinates
- 54.38851, -5.85531
- Date of survey
- 11 October 2000
- HB reference
- HB18/05/005
Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.
David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
Shown on 5 historical map sheets, the earliest the 1794 "Sheet 55. (Cary's England, Wales, and Scotland)." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
The Department's description
Exterior description and setting
Skewed, rubble built road bridge of possible pre 1834 construction, carrying the Downpatrick Road over the Ballynahinch River. The bridge is located roughly 2 miles E of Ballynahinch.
The bridge is largely in random fieldstone rubble with two segmental arches. The arches have granite voussoirs and the low parapets have heavy granite coping. There is a central cutwater to each side and outer buttresses to the N side. There are probably similar buttresses to the S, but this face is largely covered in greenery and little can be discerned The road is covered in Tarmac.
Historical information
A bridge, marked ‘Comber Bridge’ is shown on this site on the OS map of 1834 but unmarked on the revised map of 1858. It is possible that the structure we see today is that of 1834, but the structure’s pronounced skew in relation to the river (an indication of sophistication in building technique) could suggest that it is slightly later.
References- Primary sources
1 PRONI OS/6/3/30/1 OS map, Down sh 30, 1834
2 PRONI OS/6/3/30/2 OS map, Down sh 30, 1858
Secondary sources
1 Peter O’Keefe and Tom Simington ‘Irish stone bridges: History and heritage’ (Irish Academic Press 1991)
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
Skewed, rubble built road bridge of possible pre 1834 construction, carrying the Downpatrick Road over the Ballynahinch River.Of special interest for its age, style, proprtion, detail, and character.
Nearby in the register
- Russells BridgeBridgeunder 1 mi
- Cumber HouseHouseunder 1 mi
- Site of former 108 Drumnaconagher RoadDemolishedunder 1 mi
- Yewtree HouseHouseunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.