Survey Data
Reg No
41400923
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Architectural, Technical
Original Use
Bridge
In Use As
Bridge
Date
1835 - 1840
Coordinates
269505, 335931
Date Recorded
23/04/2012
Date Updated
--/--/--
Description
Single-arch canal bridge, built c.1838, carrying private road over Ulster Canal. Elliptical arch with tooled sandstone voussoirs. Squared coursed sandstone spandrel and parapet walls. Tooled sandstone coping to parapets and tooled sandstone platband to base of parapet walls. Gunnelled squared stone to soffit. Towpath with tooled stone coping running to north-west abutment.
Appraisal
Unlike many canal bridges in this area, this example continues to support a road, which is testament to its durability and the civil engineering skill which was involved in its construction. Although it is somewhat overgrown, details such as its tooled stone platband, voussoirs, and squared stone piers enliven each elevation. The elliptical shape of the arch, which gives the bridge its graceful profile, represents its relatively late date of construction, as the three-centred arch was favoured in early canal bridges. This bridge is representative of the endeavour to provide a comprehensive network of navigable waterways in Ireland, prior to the advent of railway transport, and as such is an integral piece of transport history.