Cullintraw Bridge,

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Culvert Bridge carrying the Ballydrain Road over a small river/inlet. The bridge is sited c.1.5 miles SE of Comber, next to the marshy coast line of Strangford Lough. The bridge is mainly in basalt rubble, with a few sections of sandstone, with water flowing through a large pipe.

When surveyed in December 1973 this bridge was free-standing, i.e. it was not a culvert bridge. It is also said to have been built in sandstone with a segmental arch with rough dressed voussoirs. But the present bridge is not free standing , appears to be mainly constructed of basalt and displays no apparent sign of a segmental arch. Thus, it seems that this was culverted its remaining (E) side may have been largely reconstructed.

Historical information

A bridge is shown on this site on the OS maps of 1834 and 1858. On the former map the bridge stands close to a bend in the Ballydrain Road, whilst on the latter, the Road has been straightened, hugging the coast line instead of heading inland. This, as well as the fact that the bridge is marked ‘Cullintraw Bridge’ on the 1858 map only, suggests it may have been rebuilt some time after 1834.

The river/inlet appears to have formed a race for flax mill and a corn mill a short distance to the west of the bridge, shown on both the 1834 and 1858 maps.

Originally the bridge was free standing but was culverted [?c.1980s], with no trace of it to the west side.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI OS/1/3/10 OS map 1st ed. 1834, Down 10.
2 PRONI OS/6/3/10/3 OS map 1st rev. 1858, Down 10.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Plain, rubble-built culvert bridge, which was a free-standing bridge until fairly recently. The free-standing bridge may have been largely built between 1834 and 1858 when the Ballydrain Road was re-directed.