Historic Buildings Record · Northern Ireland
Former railway bridge
Ballydyan, Newry, Mourne and Down, Northern Ireland
The record
- Designation
- Listed building, Grade B2
- Grade
- B2
- Type
- Bridge
- Date of listing
- 27 May 1980
- Date of construction
- 1840 - 1859
- Address
- Former railway bridge, Ballydyan Road, Ballydyan, Ballynahinch, Co Down
- Townland
- Ballydyan
- Council
- Newry, Mourne and Down
- Country
- Northern Ireland
- Coordinates
- 54.42073, -5.81798
- Date of survey
- 11 October 2000
- HB reference
- HB18/05/010
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 Libraries
Shown on 4 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
Single span, largely rubble built, road bridge of 1857-58 built to carry the Ballydyan Road over a stretch of the former Belfast & County Down Railway line. The line was removed in 1950 and the underside of the bridge now appears to serve as a cattle shed. The bridge is located along the Ballydyan Road, roughly 3 miles NE of Ballynahinch.
The bridge is mainly constructed in squared fieldstone, with sandstone used as coping to the parapets, voussoirs to the elliptical arch, and as string courses at road level and arch springing level. To either face of the bridge, either side of the arch, are large abutments with sandstone coping and squat end piers. At both ends the arch is largely covered with corrugated sheeting (the arch now appears to be used as a cattle shed), with a door in the sheeting to the S. Both faces of the bridge are largely covered in thick ivy growth.
Historical information
This bridge was constructed in 1857-58 to carry the what is now known as the Ballydyan Road over a new stretch of the Belfast & Co Down Railway Company’s line to Ballynahinch. It was probably designed by the BCDR’s chief engineer, Sir John MacNeill, and built by his principal contractor, Patrick Moore. The line closed in 1950 and the underside of the arch now appears to be used as a cattle shed.
References- Primary sources
1 PRONI OS/6/3/23/2 OS map, Down sh 23, 1858
Secondary sources
1 W.A. McCutcheon ‘The industrial archaeology of Northern Ireland’ (Belfast HMSO 1980), p.143 etc.
2 Desmond Coakham ‘The Belfast & County Down Railway’ (Midland Publishing Ltd. 1998)
Criteria for listing: architectural interest
A. Style
B. Proportion
D. Plan Form
F. Structural System
Criteria for listing: historic interest
X. Local Interest
Evaluation
Single span, largely rubble built, road bridge of 1857-58 built to carry the Ballydyan Road over a stretch of the former Belfast & County Down Railway line. The line was removed in 1950. Bridge considered of special interest for its style, proportion, intact plan form, structural system and local interest.
Nearby in the register
- 29 Ballydyan RoadHouseunder 1 mi
- Former railway bridgeBridgeunder 1 mi
- 60 Cahard RoadHouseunder 1 mi
- Drumgiven HouseHouseunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.