Ballynahinch Bridge

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Rubble built single span road bridge of probable mid 19th century construction, carrying the Dromore Road over the Ballynahinch river.

The bridge is in squared fieldstone with granite voussoirs and rough granite coping. The arch is segmental. To the N side a metal pipe has been positioned close to the face of the bridge. This pipe is supported by a steel beam. To the E end the N parapet abuts a single storey rendered store-like building, to the S side it merges with a low curving rubble wall.

Historical information

A bridge is shown on this site on Taylor and Skinner’s map of 1777 and all others thereafter. On the OS maps of 1834 and 1858, however, the Dromore Road is shown significantly narrower and with a more pronounced ‘kink’ where it actually crossed the river, all of which suggests that an earlier bridge was present during this period. This is confirmed by the OS Memoirs of 1834 which describe the bridge at that point as ‘an old plain structure of unhewn stone with a single arch on the southern side and two small ones on the north’. By 1900 the road had been straightened, a process which undoubtedly involved the rebuilding of the bridge, though northern face retained its original squint orientation. The actual date of the rebuilding of the bridge / straightening of the road is uncertain, but an illustration of 1860, (included within McComb’s ‘Guide to Belfast…’- ref No.8 see below), shows what appears to be a single span bridge, suggesting that work may have been carried out between 1858 (the date of the abovementioned OS map where the road is still shown in its original form) and 1860.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI D.1255 Title deeds, legal and testamentary papers, correspondence and Irish Land Commissioners Papers re the Ballynahinch Estate, 1630-1940
2 ‘Taylor’s and Skinner’s maps of the roads of Ireland’ (Dublin 1777) map 284
3 PRONI D.272/41 MS map of Ballynahinch by William Byers, c.1790
4 PRONI OS/1/3/22 OS map 1st ed., 1834, Co. Down 22
5 ‘Ordinance Survey Memoirs of Ireland’ vol.17 ed Angélique Day and Patrick McWilliams (QUB 1992) p.106
6 PRONI VAL/1D/3/19 Valuation town plan, Ballynahinch, 1838
7 PRONI OS/9/41/1 OS Town plan of Ballynahinch, 1860
8 William McComb ‘Guide to Belfast and adjoining districts’ (Belfast 1861)
9 PRONI VAL/12E/83/1 Valuation town plans, Ballynahinch, 1864-1905
10 PRONI VAL/12E/83/2 Valuation town plans, Ballynahinch, 1905-35
11 PRONI OS/8/3/2 OS town plan of Ballynahinch, 1920
12 PRONI VAL/3G/59/1 Valuation town plans, Ballynahinch, 1937-53

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Rubble built single span road bridge of probable mid to later 19th century construction, carrying the Dromore Road over the Ballynahinch river