Bessy Grae Bridge, Station Road, Doagh

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A three-span road bridge carrying Station Road over Six Mile Water. Random rubble basalt piers, spandrels and parapets, granite coping to parapet. Three segmental-headed arches with rubble stone voussoirs; V-shaped cutwaters to piers. Arch soffits are of random rubble.

The carriageway is approximately 10m wide. The parapet walls have a lowered section (no coping) to the north as a stile. The embankments of the bridge extend to north to form field boundaries. This section of the bridge has a further three small segmental-headed arches with rendered soffits to the base, again with stone voussoirs, allowing access through fields below road level. Drainage pipes project at intervals from the walls of the bridge.

The bridge is set in a rural area to the south of the village of Doagh, on the main road from Belfast. There is modern fencing and hedging to the south, and hedging to the north of the extended boundary wall.

Roof N/A
Walling Random rubble basalt
Windows N/A
Rainwater goods N/A

Historical information

The bridge appears on the first Edition OS Map of 1833, on the main road from Doagh to Belfast, and is captioned on the 1859 Griffiths Map.

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/1/6/1/51/1 -First Edition OS Map (1833)
2. PRONI VAL/2/A/1/45A - Griffiths Valuation Map (1859).

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
F. Structural System
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

A substantial late 18th century three-span bridge carrying the road over the Six Mile Water. Its size and the number of arches are of note and it is also well constructed robust detailing in granite. The extensive embankments and flood arches beneath the roadway add to its interest.