Railway Bridge

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A single-arch masonry bridge, built c.1862 in Scottish baronial style at the west end of Helen’s Bay Station. It carries the double-track Belfast-Bangor railway line over a diagonally-running avenue between Helen’s Bay and Clandeboye House.
The bridge is constructed in rock-faced quarried blackstone embellished with sandstone. The abutments are of rock-faced blackstone blocks laid to courses. Dressed sandstone quoins.

The arch is of two-centred profile. Its voussoirs comprise five in-stepped courses of chamfered ashlar sandstone, with vee jointing between courses. The soffit is of rubbed ashlar sandstone.

The spandrels are of random rubble blackstone. Set over the crown of the arch is a large recessed triangular panel delineated by two courses of ashlar sandstone (continuations of the top two arch voussoirs). It contains the Dufferin family heraldic shield surmounted by a coronet and flanked to each side by a lion rampant. Below the shield on the south face is the inscription ‘Per Vias Rectas’ (by the right ways); it is now indecipherable on the other shield.

A moulded sandstone string course runs along the base of the parapet, rising over the apex of the coat of arms.
The parapets are at station platform level and are detailed as the spandrels. They rise in two steps over the apex of the coat of arms and are coped with cut sandstone blocks.

The arch is delineated to each side by a half-round turret of ashlar sandstone blocks. The turrets are set over moulded corbels at arch spring level and are surmounted by ashlar sandstone conical spires. There is a slit opening towards the top of each turret at platform level, over which the parapet string course rises. The parapet copings also continue as a string course around the base of each turret spire. On the rail side of each turret, at platform level, is a small square-headed circular recess within the turret.
The wing walls are of quarried rubble blackstone and form part of the adjoining coach yard (HB/23/15/039E).

Setting

Located in Helen's Bay to the west of the railway station (HB23/15/039A) and carrying the Belfast-Bangor railway line over Clandeboye Avenue. To the east are the station platforms (HB23/15/039B) and to the north the associated coach yard (HB23/15/039E) and related road bridge (HB23/15/039F).

Materials: Stone

Historical information

The land on which this bridge and adjoining station are located was owned by Frederick, 1st Marquis of Dufferin and Ava. As a condition of allowing the railway to pass through his estate, he dictated the design of the entire station complex. His wishes were carried out by the English architect Benjamin Ferrey, the cost being met by the railway company. Although this section of the railway is now doubled, it was originally single but this was allowed for in the depth of the bridge.
The railway had arrived in Holywood in 1848, but it was not until 1862 that the Belfast, Holywood & Bangor Railway Company (BHBR) began construction of the Holywood-Bangor section. Because of land access difficulties and extensive rock blasting, it took three years to complete, opening on 19 May 1865. When it opened, the Belfast & County Down Railway Co (BCDR) sold its Belfast-Holywood section to the BHBR. In 1873, the line was leased to the BCDR and transferred outright in 1884. In 1948, the line was taken over by the Ulster Transport Authority and then by Northern Ireland Railways in 1968. It is now operated by Translink.

References – Primary Sources:
1. PRONI T3020/145/1 – Architectural drawings of Helen’s Bay station complex by Benjamin Ferrey. These are copies of originals in the Clandeboye Estate Archive which are dated 1862.

References – Secondary sources:
1. Patterson, E.M. The Belfast and County Down Railway, p.8 (Newton Abbot: David & Charles, 1958).
2. Green, E.R.R. The Industrial Archaeology of County Down, p.80 (Belfast: HMSO, 1963).
3. McCutcheon, W.A. The Industrial Archaeology of Northern Ireland, pp 144, 178 and 218 (Belfast: HMSO, 1980).

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
F. Structural System
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

W. Northern Ireland/International Interest
Z. Rarity
V. Authorship

Evaluation

A single-arch masonry bridge, built c.1862 in Scottish Baronial style on the estate of the 1st Marquis of Dufferin and Ava to designs by Benjamin Ferrey as part of the Belfast, Holywood & Bangor Railway to carry the railway line over Clandeboye Avenue. Its distinctive style, careful execution and high quality sandstone embellishments, mark it out as one of the most notable railway bridge's in Northern Ireland. The ribbed ashlar stonework is of particular technical merit. It is of importance as an unusual and outstanding example of mid 19th century railway architecture owing to the fact that its design was dictated by the Marquis and not the railway company. The avenue is of note as park of the extensive landscape planning associated with Clandeboye. The bridge has group value with the railway station and related railway structures (HB23/15/039A-F) in the vicinity. It is also of interest for being designed by a prominent architect and for its association with the 1st Marquis and Clandeboye.

General comments

Included in Helen's Bay Area of Village Character. This was formerly site HB23/15/036. This record was then incorporated in the record HB23/15/039.

HB23/15/039 formerly incorporated the station building, platforms, railway bridge and coach yard. These are now recorded as HB23/15/039A, HB23/15/039B HB23/15/039D and HB23/15/039 E respectively.