Railway Bridge over The Village

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Single-span rail-over-road stone bridge, built c.1850. Segmental-headed arch, painted feather-edged rock-faced voussoirs, dressed imposts, brick soffits, squared uncoursed basalt to spandrel and parapet with feather-edged coping. Later pedestrian circular tunnel to west, lined with corrugated metal. Bridge spans over The Village, railway station to east, rock-faced contemporary escarpments to shrub-covered embankments.

Historical information

This bridge was built as part of the Belfast-Ballymena Railway (BBRC), opened in April 1848. The first sod of the new broad-gauge line had been cut at Whitehouse in November 1845 by 10th Viscount Massereene. The station, to the east, is shown on the 1857 OS map marked ‘Templepatrick Station’. In 1860 the line was extended to serve Ballymoney, Coleraine, Portrush and Londonderry, and was incorporated as the Belfast and Northern Counties Railway (BCNR). Engineer-architect John Lanyon, son of Sir Charles Lanyon, was commissioned to build stations along the Northern Counties line in 1873, and it is likely that the current Templepatrick Station was rebuilt at this time, sharing distinctive stylistic features with stations such as those at Downhill, Limavady and Castlerock.

References:

Primary Sources:
1. PRONI OS/6/1/ First edition OS Map (1857)
2. PRONI OS/6/1/ Third edition OS Map (1932)

Secondary Sources:
1. Currie, J.R.L; The Northern Counties Railway Vol.1 (David & Charles, 1973)
2. Leggatt, J.E.; The Irish Commercial and Railway Gazetteer (McCorquodale & Co, 1907)
3. McCutcheon, W.A. The Industrial Archaeology of Northern Ireland, DOE 1984

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

This single-span railway bridge over The Village was constructed during the mid-nineteenth century, a time of great expansion of rail travel throughout Northern Ireland, as part of the Belfast – Ballymena line. The bridge displays well preserved details such as dressed stone voussoirs and imposts. Brick soffits are of some engineering merit.