Tate's Avenue Bridge, Belfast, Co Antrim

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

This brick and metal multi-span bridge was erected in 1926 to carry Tate’s Avenue over the main Belfast-Dublin railway line. It also crosses Fane Street/ Northbrook Avenue just E of the railway span, and Donegall Avenue to its W. It is flanked by terraces of red brick houses along both sides.
The structure is aligned approximately E-W and measures 422 yards long (386m) from one end of its ramped approach to the other. The two-lane road is separated from footpaths along each side by a modern galvanised metal crash barrier.
For the purposes of this description, the bridge has been divided into nine sections, starting at its Lisburn Road (E) end. Unless otherwise stated, its N and S faces are identical.

Section 1:
A solid ramped approach ramp faced on each side with red brick. The brickwork rises in line with the slope of the road and is accentuated with a gentler-sloping advanced basal course trimmed with chamfered purple brick. The parapets are also of red brick and are bounded at each end by square intermediate brick piers rising from the base course. They are also accentuated with chamfered purple brickwork along their bases. Each parapet section, which is stepped relative to the next in line with the road, contains three recessed rectangular panels also trimmed with purple bricks. Both the piers and parapets are coped with concrete. Metal plates mounted on the top of the piers were probably for affixing lamp standards, long since removed.

Section 2:
The sides of this section are also of red brick. However, the space below the road is empty except for a red brick wall running up the middle, between the two side walls. Brick walls also run at right angles between the side walls at regular intervals to form eight sub-sections. The resultant series of rooms on either side of the middle longitudinal wall are accessible by doorways through the side walls and are lit by windows, most of which are now infilled with concrete blockwork.
The deck is carried on jack arches running transversely between each of the three brick walls. These arches are cantilevered beyond the side walls to carry footpaths along both sides of the road above. The arches comprise steel I beams between which are small purple brick arches. There is a pair of such beams directly underneath each of the parapet piers; they rest on top of the transverse brick walls. Some of the steelwork is embossed with its maker’s name – “D Colville & Sons Ltd, Glengarnock, Scotland”. The ends of these beams continue beyond the arches and probably once carried utility pipes now removed. However, their ends have been cut back flush with the ends of the jack arches along the N side of the bridge, except for those which now support modern lamp standards.
Towards the W end of the S face of the bridge, a modern steel dogleg staircase connects the ground with deck level. These stairs are a replacement of an original flight and exits at road level through the pair of metal piers on the lattice metal parapet (described later). The projecting ends of the jack-arch I beams have been cut back to accommodate the new staircase. There are no corresponding stairs on the N side of this section of the bridge.

Section 3:
This section carries the road over Fane Street and Northbrook Avenue and comprises a single metal-girder span made up of two riveted metal beams, between which are two slightly deeper ones. The ends of the two inside beams rest on concrete pillow blocks on top of brick abutments. The ends of the outside ones rest on welded metal beams (possibly hollow and filled with concrete) supported on pairs of massive scrolled metal brackets extending out from the ends of the abutments. Laid transversely across the top of the four beams are steel-sheeted jack arches over which the deck is laid. Affixed to the outside faces of the side beams are braced metal bracket which formerly supported service ducts.

Section 4:
This section comprises thee spans, each of which comprises three longitudinal steel I beams resting on concrete blocks over brick piers running between the side walls. These piers project slightly beyond the side walls which are brick to their lower halves, but fenestrated to their upper halves; the latter has expanded-metal infill panels rather than glazing). As with section 2, the footpaths are cantilevered on purple brick jack arches detailed as before, and the I beams also project beyond.
A modern dogleg steel staircase runs up the N side of this section; again the jack arch beams have been cut back to accommodate it. This is a modern insert; there was never a staircase originally at this point as evidenced by the fact that the parapet has been cut back to enable access at top.

Section 5:
This section comprises a single span over the railway. It comprises two deep riveted steel I beams, the ends of which rest on concrete pillow blocks on top of the abutments. Between them run shallower I beams, through the tops of which run even smaller I beams set parallel with the two principal beams, and on which the deck has been laid. As with section 3, there are brackets on the outside faces of the side beams for service ducts.

Section 6:
This section is detailed as section 4, but only has two spans.

Section 7:
This section carries the road over Donegall Avenue and comprises a single metal girder span detailed as section 3. Modern welded metal sculptures have been placed on top of the duck brackets on both faces. There are also murals depicting local historical scenes painted on the abutments.

Section 8:
This section comprises two sub-sections, with a solid brick curtain wall along both sides. Whether it is internally detailed as section 3 or 5 is, however, uncertain as there was no access to the internal spaces at the time of survey; one of the rooms houses a playgroup.
There are modern steel staircases up both sides. That on the N side is a replacement of an original one, but the other is a new addition.

Section 9:
This section is a solid ramp detailed as section 1 but its parapet is divided into 21 parts. Unlike section 1, there is no terminal pier to its end.

Parapets:
Sections 1 and 9 both have brick parapets as already described. Section 5, over the railway, has a solid metal parapet between large concrete-coped brick piers. The parapet is on top of the main side girders and is fabricated from smaller panels embossed with decorative lines their road faces.
The parapets to the remaining sections are of lattice metalwork with a serrated cast-metal handrail. There are intermediate welded metal piers (probably hollow and infilled with concrete) carrying raised and fielded ovals to their inside and outside faces. Some are also embossed “The Millfield Foundry Belfast 1926” (either at outside bottom or inside top). However, sections 3 and 7 (over the roads) have more substantial piers (with rectangular motifs) carried on cantilevered beams supported on pairs of massive scrolled cast-metal brackets.

Historical information

Until the construction of this bridge by Belfast Corporation in the 1920s, Tate’s Avenue ran over the railway line on a level crossing (this line dates from 1839). This crossing is captioned on the 1920 OS map.

Dated plaques on the bridge’s parapets attest to its erection in 1926 and it is captioned as Tate’s Avenue Bridge on the 1931 OS map and subsequent editions.

The contractor was H & J Martin. The steel beams used to support the deck were manufactured and supplied by David Colville & Sons’ Glengarnock Works, North Ayrshire (Scotland). The parapets are by the Millfield Foundry, Belfast.

The various artistic sculptures which now adorn the parapets were installed in 2010/2011 as a result of an Arts Council sponsored project entitled ‘Re-Imaging Communities’.

The bridge was refurbished by DRD Roads Service in 2013.

References – Primary Sources:
1. PRONI OS/10/1/60/16/1. OS 25-inch map, Co Antrim sheet 60-16 (1920).
2. Dated plaques on bridge parapet.
3. PRONI OS/10/1/60/16/2. OS 25-inch map, Co Antrim sheet 60-16 (1931).
4. PRONI OS/10/1/60/16/3. OS 25-inch map, Co Antrim sheet 60-16 (1938).
5. PRONI OS/11/147/1/1. OS 25-inch IG map sheet 147-01 (1958-59).
6. Minutes of Belfast City Council Development Committee, 13 Jan 2010.
7. Belfast Telegraph, 29 Aug 2013.

References – Secondary Sources:
1. J. Baker, Snapshots of Belfast 1925-29, pp 26, 29, 33, 34, 49, 40 (Belfast Glenravel Local History Project, 2008). This series of (undated) photographs shows the progress of the bridge’s erection, from the laying of its foundations to completion.
2. R.C. Cox & M.H. Gould, Civil Engineering Heritage Ireland, pp 138-140 (London: Thomas Telford, 1998).

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
F. Structural System
H-. Alterations detracting from building

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest
R. Age
S. Authenticity
R. Age
S. Authenticity

Evaluation

Architecturally, this bridge is primarily of structural interest, being an excellent example of steel girder and brick jack arch construction. Although essentially of utilitarian construction, it also has a modicum of embellishment, as evidenced by its parapet piers and scrolled brackets on the open spans. Its large scale and raised approaches to North and South makes it a well known local landmark, of interest to the local community.

Historically, the bridge is largely unaltered and is of local interest in reflecting the growth of traffic in this locality in the first quarter of the 20th century. The fact that the bridge also has an attested date is also of interest.