Road over rail bridge

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

This single-arch brick and stone bridge carries a single-lane minor road over the double-track Lisburn-Lurgan section of the Belfast-Dublin railway, just north of the Lisburn – Moira road. The line runs along a deep cutting at this point.

The abutments are of squared random rubble blackstone brought to courses with stepped vee-jointed ashlar sandstone quoins. A chamfered ashlar sandstone string course also runs around the quoins and through the arch at spring level. The arch is of semi-elliptical profile, with vee-jointed ashlar sandstone voussoirs. The soffit is of brick. The spandrels are of random roughly-faced blackstone blocks.

There is a tapered advanced buttress to each side, detailed as the spandrels (the quoins of which are undifferentiated). The buttresses extend up to the tops of the parapets and have shallow pyramidal sandstone caps (both of which are missing at north end).

The parapets are of random rubble blackstone with finely dressed sandstone copings and out-projecting terminal piers. A chamfered ashlar sandstone string course runs along the base of each parapet and around the buttress extensions and terminal piers.
A metal plaque on the NW abutment notes that this is bridge no.273.

Historical information

This bridge lies on the Lisburn-Lurgan section of the Belfast-Dublin railway. The Belfast-Lisburn section was opened by the Ulster Railway Company in August 1839 and had been extended to Lurgan by November 1841. The line was constructed by William Dargan under the direction of the company’s Resident Engineer John Godwin.

The line was initially laid as a 6ft 2in gauge single track. Following the standardisation of Ireland’s railways in 1846, the line was relaid to 5ft 3in gauge and the opportunity was also taken to double it; this work was completed by late 1847. However, such doubling had been anticipated when the bridge was being designed, so no structural alterations to it were required.
The bridge is depicted on the 1858 Ordnance Survey six-inch map and subsequent editions.

In 1876, the Ulster Railway Company became part of the Great Northern Railway Company (Ireland). The Ulster Transport Authority took over operations in 1958, and the Northern Ireland Railway Co in 1968. Translink is now responsible for the line’s operation but the maintenance of all road-over-railway bridges such as this example rests with DRD Roads Service.
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References – Primary sources:
1. PRONI OS/6/1/67/2. Second edition OS six-inch map, Co Antrim sheet 67 (1858).

References - Secondary sources:
1. McCutcheon, W.A. The Industrial Archaeology of Northern Ireland, pp 104-105 (Belfast: HMSO, 1980).

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Despite its utilitarian function, this bridge, set in a deep cutting, exhibits architectural quality in terms of its use of contrasting materials (blackstone, sandstone and brick), finishes (random rubble, squared and ashlar), and embellishments (arch and parapet string courses, vee-jointed voussoirs). Although of interest, it is not considered of special interest, as there are better examples of this type of bridge listed on this section of the Ulster Railway.