Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB24/16/015

Address :
Bridge at Ballyknockan Mill, Tullygarvan Road, Tullygarvan & Ballyknockan, Ballygowan, Co. Down BT23 6[?NB]

Townland:
Tullygarvan/ Ballyknockan

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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:
166-8

IG Ref:
J4063 6437

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Owner Category

Central Govt

Exterior Description And Setting

Road bridge, carrying the Ballyknockan Road over the Ballygowan River and a (now defunct) mill race, c.2 miles W of Ballygowan. The bridge is set at a low level and constructed from random whinstone rubble. To the S side are two low semicircular arches separated by a cutwater. The S side of the bridge is largely covered in greenery. The cutwater splits the river in two form a mill race (which flows to the W), the rest of the water (to the E). Thus, on the N side of the road, the arches are more widely spaced. To the N side is a low parapet constructed roughly in rubble. The parapet to the S appears to have been rebuilt recently and is slightly taller, but with the same general rough appearance that to the N. The road is covered in tarmac. Disused rubble-built mill buildings to the W, with not insubstantial remains of water wheel. For fuller report on mill buildings see HB25/02/015 & /016.

Architects

Not Known

Historical Information

A bridge is shown on this site on the OS maps of 1834 and 1858, with the mill to the immediate west side. The (corn) mill itself was built in 1810 by one David Orr and possessed a ‘metal’ breast wheel of 13ft. diameter and 4ft. 1in. in breadth. Orr also built a flax mill beside the same with a larger wheel. It is probable therefore that this bridge was built/rebuilt in 1810 also. The parapet to the south side has been rebuilt fairly recently and some of the old flax mill buildings have been converted to a dwelling. References- Primary sources 1 PRONI OS map 1st ed. 1834, Down 16. 2 PRONI VAL1B/334 1st valuation Saintfield parish 1834. 3 ‘Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland Vol.7: Parishes of County Down II’, ed. Angelique Day and Patrick McWilliams (QUB 1991), p.114. 4 PRONI OS map 1st rev. 1858-60, Down 16. 5 PRONI 2nd valuation Saintfield parish c.1863. 6 EHS HB24/16/15 1st survey notes and slide (see also HB25/02/015 & 16). 7 EHS OS map 166-8 (1:2500) 1973.

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

Not listed

Historic Interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Low level rubble constructed road bridge, possibly built c.1810, over the Ballygowan river and a mill race formerly serving Ballyknockan corn mill. The parapet to the south side has been rebuilt recently. The corn mill itself is still standing but is derelict (see HB25/02/015 & /016).

General Comments

Date of Survey

19 January 1999