Glenavy Bridges

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Glenavy Bridge is a triple-arch masonry bridge which carries the Crumlin road over the Glenavy River at the north end of Glenavy Village, just north of the junction with the Belfast Road and within the Glenavy Area of Village Character.

The bridge is of random rubble basalt throughout. Its abutments and piers have been underpinned with concrete. There are angled cutwaters on the upstream (E) and downstream (W) elevations, rising to just below the tops of the parapets. The arches are of equal size and segmental profile. The parapets are coped with squared random rubble. The carriageway is slightly curved and carries two lanes of traffic and a footpath. The south end of the upstream parapet has been hit by a vehicle and is now missing. The bridge walling extends for some distance along the Crumlin Road, particularly on the East side of the road, parallell to the Glenavy River. It consists of a low rubble stone wall with roughly squared stone copings.

Subtle differences between the up- and downstream faces indicate two phases of construction. The upstream voussoirs are of roughly-dressed quarried basalt rubble whereas the downstream ones are of narrower split basalt rubble. On the up side, the arch ring and spandrels are set back from the parapets and abutments whereas on the down side, only the arch ring is recessed. There is also a clear break along the middle of all three arch soffits. Examination of the stonework along this break indicates that the upstream half was added to the existing downstream half, thereby doubling the bridge’s width.

A pipe is carried on cantilevered steel brackets across the downstream elevation just above arch crown level. The bed of the river directly underneath the arches has been concreted to mitigate erosion; immediately downstream the bed is pitched with random rubble.

Just east of Glenavy Bridge is a small arched rubble masonry bridge which carries the Belfast Road over a stream which discharges into the Glenavy River just above the main bridge. Its left-bank approach wall sweeps around towards the approach wall to Glenavy Bridge. There is a clear break between the two sections of walling in the form of an entrance to the land between the two bridges. This gap has been filled with a modern tubular steel gate mounted on concrete posts. It is thus difficult to determine on the basis of the field evidence whether or not the two bridges were built as a single entity.
The bridge has a segmental arch with roughly dressed quoins. Its upstream face is now obscured by a later culvert which runs diagonally from the foot of a rubble masonry weir which formerly directed part of the stream to Glenavy Mill. All the water now runs through the culvert as the take-off to the mill's headrace has been infilled. The culvert has a semicircular brick arch (two courses of machined brick) over random rubble abutments.

Historical information

Circumstantial evidence suggests that this bridge could be of mid 18th century date. The road to Crumlin is shown crossing the river at this point on Taylor & Skinner’s 1777 map of Ireland and its vernacular style would accord with this period. A crossing is also shown on Lendrick’s 1780 map of Co Antrim.
The bridge is cited as ‘Glenavy Br’ on the 1832-33 OS six-inch map. It is also noted in the 1833 Ordnance Survey Memoir for Camlin Parish as “consisting of three semicircular arches and measuring 24 ft wide and 80 feet long. These are … plain old structures, suitable in every respect but not worthy of further notice”.
This width accords with its present form, indicating that it was widened before this date. When precisely is uncertain, but given that it was on the main route between Antrim and Lisburn, it was probably in the later 1700s.
The single arch bridge is also on the 1832-33 OS map but it is not known whether it is contemporary with Glenavy Bridge. The use of machined brick on the culvert's soffit suggests a 20th century addition.

References - Primary sources:
1. Taylor, G. & Skinner, A. Maps of the Roads of Ireland, Surveyed 1777 (Dublin, 1778).
2. Lendrick, J. A Map of the County of Antrim from Actual Survey (1780).
3. PRONI OS/6/1/59/1. First edition OS six-inch map, Co Antrim sheet 59 (1832).
4. OS Memoir for Camlin Parish. Reprinted as Day, A. & McWilliams, P. (eds) Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland: Parishes of County Antrim VII, 1832-8, South Antrim, p.67 (Belfast: Institute of Irish Studies, 1993).

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
D. Plan Form
H-. Alterations detracting from building

Criteria for listing: historic interest

S. Authenticity
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

The triple-arch masonry bridge is probably of mid 18th century date and a good example of the ‘vernacular’ style, ie unadorned construction using local materials. Its three regular segmental arches are also typical of bridges of this period. Its upstream doubling in width, probably in the later 18th century, illustrates its historical development which, in turn, reflects the growing volume of traffic along this road. Whilst the underpinning of the abutments and piers has been carried out as a structural necessity, it somewhat diminishes the aesthetic character of the bridge. Nevertheless, it is of local historical interest as a well preserved and still functioning 18th century bridge. Just east of Glenavy Bridge is a small arched rubble masonry bridge that carries the Belfast Road over a stream and discharges into the Glenavy River just above the main bridge. Although physically separate, it is of similar age and construction and given the close proxmity, the two bridges are regarded as a single architectural entity.

General comments

Glenavy Area of Village Character