Survey Data
Reg No
41400920
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Architectural, Technical
Original Use
Bridge
Date
1855 - 1860
Coordinates
268968, 337465
Date Recorded
30/04/2012
Date Updated
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Description
Single-arch railway bridge, built c.1858, carrying Portadown & Cavan Branch of Ulster Railway over road. Coursed rock-faced rusticated limestone to abutment walls, wings, spandrel walls and parapets, having tooled copings to parapets, abutments and tooled string course at impost level. Projecting tapered buttresses flanking arch to each elevation, with rusticated and margined quoins. Segmental arch having rusticated and margined stone voussoirs and brick voussoirs. Round arch opening to culvert to south-east elevation.
Appraisal
The stonework in this piece of railway architecture is indicative of the skill and craftsmanship in stone-working which was prevalent in the closing decades of the nineteenth century. The large buttresses and heavy rustication provide an impression of strength and power, while the elegantly splayed abutment walls are a statement of aesthetic interest in the landscape. A component part of the Portadown & Cavan Railway, the portion between Armagh and Monaghan was opened in 1858 and closed in 1957. Prominently sited at a road junction, this bridge makes a strong impression on the surrounding landscape and is an important reminder of the industrial heritage of the area.