Survey Data
Reg No
41401209
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Architectural, Scientific, Technical
Original Use
Bridge
Date
1855 - 1865
Coordinates
257741, 330058
Date Recorded
02/05/2012
Date Updated
--/--/--
Description
Single-arch railway bridge, built c.1860, carrying road over Portadown and Cavan Branch of Ulster Railway. Segmental arch having rock-faced rusticated and margined sandstone voussoirs and cut-stone soffits. Splayed wings terminating in projecting piers to abutments, random rock-face rusticated stone to spandrel walls, parapet walls, abutments and wings. Rock-faced rusticated platbands at impost level and to base of parapets. Dressed limestone parapet walls with pointed capping.
Appraisal
This bridge is a strong focal point on the outskirts of Smithborough, constituting an impressive piece of road and railway infrastructure. A road has been placed on the former rail bed underneath. The survival of the bridge is a testament to the skill and craftsmanship of railway engineers in the nineteenth century. The Portadown and Cavan Branch of the Ulster Railway, later the Great Northern Railway, provided a transport link in this area which was indicative of both the commercial productivity of the area and increased communication and inter-dependency throughout the country at the time. An integral component part of this network, this bridge is an important reminder of the industrial heritage of the area.