Survey Data
Reg No
15402711
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Architectural, Social, Technical
Original Use
Bridge
In Use As
Bridge
Date
1845 - 1850
Coordinates
254854, 249750
Date Recorded
27/10/2004
Date Updated
--/--/--
Description
Triple-arched railway bridge, built c.1851, carrying road over former Midland Great Western Railway Dublin to Mullingar railway line. Comprises a central segmental-headed arch flanked to the north and south by smaller round-headed arches over embankments. Constructed of dressed limestone with rusticated rock-faced limestone voussoirs and piers with projecting ashlar limestone string course at arch springing points and at parapet base level/road level. Rusticated coping to parapets. Located to the southwest of Killucan adjacent to the south of an earlier canal bridge (15402712).
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 Mullingar to Mullingar line, which opened in 1848 and is still in active use. This bridge is one of a number of bridges in the area associated with this company. This structure is well-built using good quality limestone, while the rock-faced limestone masonry to the arches is a typical feature of mid nineteenth-century engineering projects. This bridge creates an interesting pair of structures with the earlier canal bridge (15402712) to the north, illustrating changing design trends in large-scale engineering projects as the nineteenth century progressed. This bridge is an appealing feature in the landscape to the southwest of Killucan.