Survey Data
Reg No
15310084
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Architectural, Social, Technical
Original Use
Bridge
In Use As
Bridge
Date
1845 - 1850
Coordinates
243907, 252621
Date Recorded
10/07/2004
Date Updated
--/--/--
Description
Single-arched railway bridge, built c.1848, carrying former Midland Great Western Railway Dublin Broadstone to Mullingar line over road. Constructed of rusticated limestone with elongated rock-faced voussoirs to arch, a cut stone string course at arch springing point and with ashlar limestone coping over parapet having metal railings above. Concave dressed rubble wall retaining embankment on Lynn Road side. Located to the south of Mullingar and to the east of Mullingar Railway Station (15310048).
Appraisal
A robust and elegantly-appointed railway bridge representing an important element of the transport and civil engineering heritage of County Westmeath. This bridge was originally built by the Midland and Great Western Railway Company to serve the Dublin Broadstone to Galway line, which opened as far as Mullingar in 1848. This bridge is one of a number of similar bridges in Westmeath associated with this company. This bridge is well-built using rock-faced limestone, a typical feature of mid nineteenth-century engineering projects of this nature. The elongated voussoirs to the arch are a distinctive feature. This bridge is an appealing feature in the streetscape to the south of Mullingar, retaining a functional elegance redolent of the Victorian period.