Bridge

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

This four-arch viaduct carries the defunct 'down' line (to Whitehead) across a re-entranct just north of Whitehead Tunnel (HB22/06/007A). The abutments and piers are of random rubble basalt, brought to courses. The arches are of segmental profile and embellished with rusticated/margined limestone voussoirs.. The spandrels are detailed as the abutments and are coped with roughly dressed stone blocks Their ends are embellished with rusticated limestone quoins.

The arch at the south end is now buried (but is visible on old photographs). The next arch along is orthogonal and has dressed stone soffit blocks. The adjoing arch is of skew profile, and its soffit blocks are also skewly set. The fourth arch, at the north end, is separate from the other three and also of skewed construction. The east ends of the three visible arches are blocked with stone and/or earth.
At the north end of the viaduct, is a skew flat span which carries the line over a footpath leading to the shore. The abutments and quoins of this bridge are detailed as the masonry viaduct. The original span was probably of timber or metal. Old photographs show it to have been replaced with a reinforced-concrete span, probably when the line was doubled in 1928. This span was, in turn, replaced in the 1990s with precast concrete slabs on con rete pillow beams over the tops of the abutments. The previous concrete parapets were replaced with two-bar tubular steel railings.

Just east is another skew span which carries the operational line over the same footpath (originally this was the 'up' line to Belfast). It has mass concrete abutments, a reinforced-concrete slab deck and parapets. The date '1928' is cast on the outside faces of the latter. This bridge is probably identical to the one replaced on the former 'down' line north of the viaduct.

Historical information

This line between Carrickfergus and Whitehead was constructed by the Carrickfergus & Larne Railway Company and opened in October 1862. Originally, it was a single track and was worked by the Belfast & Northern Counties Railway Co (BNCR).

In 1903, the BNCR was acquired by the Midland Railway and operated through its Northern Counties Committee. The Midland became part of the London, Midland & Scottish Railway (LMS) in 1923.

Between 1926 and 1929, the line between Carrickfergus and Whitehead was doubled by the LMS. The section on which the viaduct lies became the ‘down’ line to Whitehead. A new ‘up’ line to Carrickfergus was directed along a cutting blasted through a rocky headland on the seaward side of the tunnel.

In 1994, a rock fall forced the abandonment of this section of the down line and the re-ballasting of the up line around the headland for two-way working. Despite work to stablise the cliff face above the tunnel and renweal of the bridge to the north, there are no immediate plans to re-open this stretch of line (although it remains a long-term objective, finances permitting).

References – Secondary sources
1. Currie, J.R.L. The Northern Counties Railway, volume 1: 1845-1903 (Newton Abbot: David & Charles, 1973).
2. Johnson, S. Johnson’s Atlas & Gazetteer of the Railways of Ireland, p.108 (Leister: Midland Publishing, 1997).
3. Kennedy, M. The LMS in Ireland, p.30 (Leister: Midland Publishing, 2000).

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Although modest in scale, this four-arch viaduct is a good example of its type and exhibits a modicum of embellishment in the use limestone quoins and voussoirs which contrast with its black basalt matrix. The irregular spacing of the arches is also notable and was presumably dictated by the local topography. Regretably, the south arch is now infilled at both ends and is no longer visible. The viaducts juxtaposition to the tunnel to its south (HB22/06/007A), and 1928 bridge and 'up' line though the rock cutting to its east also enhance its interest.

General comments

This record has been renumbered as part of a group - previously HB22/06/007.