Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB24/16/010

Address :
Orr’s Bridge, Saintfield Road, Ballygowan, Co. Down BT23 6HB

Townland:
Ballygowan

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Survey 2:
Record Only

Date of Listing:

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
Bridge

Former Use
Bridge

Conservation Area:
No

Industrial Archaeology:
Yes

Vernacular:
No

Thatched:
No

Monument:
No

Derelict:
No

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OS Map No:
167/9

IG Ref:
J4280 6353

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Owner Category

Central Govt

Exterior Description And Setting

Slightly skewed road bridge sited on the Saintfield Road, just to the W of the village of Ballygowan. The SE face of the bridge appears largely original, being of flat basalt rubble with a single semicircular arch with sandstone voussoirs. Either side of the arch are large triangular buttresses now faced in concrete. Above the arch is a small hole (probably for drainage) with a ‘shelf’-like protruding stone beneath it. The NW face of the bridge has been rebuilt in recent times (probably due to the widening of the road) and consists of a square arch in concrete. The road is covered in tarmac.

Architects

Not Known

Historical Information

This bridge is shown on the OS maps of 1834 and 1858 and marked ‘Orrs Bridge’ on both. In recent times the road (to Saintfield) appears to have been widened, with the NW face of the bridge rebuilt in the process. References- Primary sources 1 PRONI OS map 1st ed. 1834 Down 16. 2 PRONI OS map 1st rev. 1858-60 Down 16. 3 EHS OS map 167-9 (1:2500) 1973. Secondary sources 1 W.A. McCutcheon ‘The Industrial Archaeology of Northern Ireland’ (HMSO 1980), pp.15-16.

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

Not listed

Historic Interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Road bridge over the Ballygowan River of probable pre 1834 origin. The rubble SE face appears largely original, but that to the NW is a modern rebuild due to the widening of the road.

General Comments

Date of Survey

19 January 1999