Survey Data
Reg No
40907059
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Architectural, Technical
Original Use
Bridge
In Use As
Bridge
Date
1780 - 1820
Coordinates
224274, 402147
Date Recorded
14/10/2010
Date Updated
--/--/--
Description
Single-arched bridge carrying road over small unnamed stream or former millrace, built c. 1800. Segmental-headed arch with fieldstone voussoirs; cement rendered finish to arch barrel. Rubble stone construction to spandrels and abutments. Rubble stone construction to parapets with modern blockwork sections and repairs. Tarmacadam deck with grass verges. Located in the rural countryside to the west of Raphoe. Weir to the south formerly associated with mill, now demolished.
Appraisal
This modest single-arch bridge retains its early form and character, despite some alterations to the parapets and the recent lining of the arch barrel, and is a feature of some rustic appeal in the rural landscape to the west of Raphoe. It is robustly-constructed in local rubble stone masonry, and its continued survival and use stands as testament to the quality of its original construction, and of the skill of the masons involved. It was probably originally constructed during the last decades of the eighteenth century or the first decades of the nineteenth century, a period that saw a great deal of road and bridge-building in Ireland, particularly by the Grand Juries (the forerunners of the County Councils). This unassuming rustic bridge is an addition to both the built heritage of the local area and to the extensive transport heritage of County Donegal. The gentle sweeping arch with fieldstone voussoirs is of architectural merit and the bridge, together with the weir to the south, form an interesting grouping of structure along this former mill race.