Russells Bridge

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Rubble built road bridge of perhaps c.1840s, carrying the Downpatrick Road over the Ballynahinch River. The bridge is located roughly 2.5 miles E of Ballynahinch.

The bridge is largely in random fieldstone rubble and has a slightly humped back. There are two roughly semicircular arches with a cutwater between and buttresses close to the banks on each side. The lower portions of the bridge have been reinforced in concrete. The parapets are now rendered. There an iron pipe across the N face of the bridge. The road is covered in Tarmac.

Historical information

A bridge, marked ‘Armstrong’s Bridge’ is shown on this site on the OS map of 1834, but named ‘Russells Bridge on the revised map of 1858. That shown on the earlier map looks slightly longer than that we see today, and what seem to be its buttresses, are set further apart than the present ones; on the latter map, however, the bridge appears roughly similar to today’s structure. This could suggest that it was rebuilt between these dates, a theory supported by the fact that its name changed also

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

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Rubble built road bridge of perhaps c.1840s, carrying the Downpatrick Road over the Ballynahinch River. The bridge which has had some modern alterations and attchements, is not considered of special architectural or historical interest.