Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB01/19/095

Address :
Craigavon Bridge Londonderry Co. Londonderry

Townland:
Londonderry and Suburbs/ Gobnascale

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Survey 2:
B+

Date of Listing:
28/10/2015 00:00:00

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:
36-8NW

IG Ref:
C4370 1610

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Owner Category

Exterior Description And Setting

A two-tier metal-grider bridge of 1933 over the River Foyle at Londonderry designed by Mott, Hay & Anderson; both decks now carry road and pedestrian traffic, but the lower deck originally carried rail traffic. Lower deck The lower deck comprises 12 spans: five wide spans across the middle of the river (each 130ft/ 40m long), and seven narrower ones (four at NW and three at SE). The ends of all the spans rest on piled cylindrical metal piers. The upstream columns are braced to their downstream counterparts with horizontal and diagonal struts. Neither abutment was observable, but both are probably 1930s mass concrete replacements of the 1860s masonry originals. Each principal span comprises a pair of Pratt steel girder trusses through which ran the railway and now the road. The trusses are fabricated from riveted steel plates and angle bars, and are supported by the cylindrical piers. The seven narrower end sections comprise simple cross-braced girder spans. The bottom chords of all the spans are cross-braced to one another with riveted steel transoms which also support the deck. Some of the stanchions are embossed "Lanarkshire Steel Co Ld. Scotland. British steel". The two-lane deck's exact composition could not be determined, but it is probably of tarmaced reinforced-concrete. There are two small roundabouts at the deck's SE end, with roads running north and south to connect with the high level road on to the upper deck. At the other end is a traffic light controlled T-junction with Foyle Road. A large-diameter cast-metal (water?) pipe runs across the upstream face of the bridge. It rests on top of the piled columns and is also clamped to the underside of a cantilevered beam affixed to the girders' bottom chords. A smaller pipe runs above it, resting on brackets affixed to the outside of the girders' stanchions. There is also a four-bar steel railing along this side, affixed to a metal beam across the top of the girders' bottom chords. A footpath is cantilevered out from the bridge's bottom chord on its downstream side. It has a vertical steel railing along each side. At its SE end, a two-stage steel stairway gives pedestrian access to the upper deck. Two large-diameter (water?) pipes affixed to the inside face of the girders' stanchions run between the road and footpath. A three-bar steel railing protects the pipes from accidental traffic impacts. Upper deck The upper deck carries four lanes of road traffic and appears to be of tarmaced concrete. It rests on a riveted steel sub-frame comprising transoms running between the top chords of the lower deck girders. There are also secondary supporting beams running longitudinally between the main transoms, and yet smaller transoms between the latter. The deck continues beyond each end of the lower one, these extensions being supported on riveted steel transoms supported on multiple sets of vertical H-beams. The space underneath the SE end of the deck has been partitioned off by a cement-rendered screen wall to form a yard behind. Although access to the yard was not possible at the time of survey, the ends of the deck beams appear to rest on a steel transom across the top of a masonry abutment of finely-dressed granite blocks laid to regular courses. The space underneath the NW end of the deck has also been screened off by a wall to create an enclosed space. This screen continues northwards and forms the frontage to a single-storey building bearing the legend 'Londonderry Corporation Electricity Supply 1920'. The south end of the wall continues as a dressed granite block wall with roll-moulded coping which wraps around the corner. Affixed to this section of wall is a cast bronze plaque reading: "City and County Borough of Londonderry/ Craigavon Bridge Lower Deck Reconstruction/ This scheme was opened on July 3rd 1968/ by his worship the Mayor of Londonderry./ Councillor W. Beatty BA JP/ Chairman of Committee Councillor - J.A. Canning/ Town Clerk - R.H. Thompson FCA/ City Engineer and Surveyor - J.C. Mackinder OBE, ERD, C Eng, M I Mun E/ Consulting Engineers - Mott, Hay and Anderson/ Main Contractor - Sir Lindsay Parkinson and Company Limited." The SW elevation of the screen wall is of random rubble sandstone to its lower half and dressed granite blocks to its upper half, with a moulded granite coping. There are also brick-trimmed windows (with concrete cills) along it, all now infilled. The actual bridge abutment is somewhere behind this wall and was accessible. A footpath is cantilevered along each side of the upper deck, with pipes and cables underneath. There are also metal down pipes to carry rainwater off the upper deck and through the lower one to discharge into the river. The footpaths are separated from the carriageway by single-bar tubular railings set into cast metal posts atop dwarf concrete walls. Their parapets are of latticed metal bars with a continuous metal handrail, and are braced externally with curved steel brackets. The parapets are punctuated at regular intervals by cast-metal piers supporting three-light lamp standards in Art-Deco style. The inside faces of these piers have hinged metal doors giving access to the internal electrics. The doors are embossed with the city's coat of arms and motto "Vita, Veritas, Victoria" (Life, Truth, Victory). All the lamps are now defunct, having been superseded by larger two-light steel lamp standards along the outside edges of the footpaths. The SE end of the deck spans the roundabouts at this end of the lower deck and ends in a traffic light controlled crossroads from which Duke St runs NE, Spencer Rd ahead, and Victoria Rd to SW. The upstream railing at this end terminates in a dressed granite pier which originally also carried an Art-Deco lamp standard. On its inside (road) face is a polished pink granite plaque detailing the toll-free status of the previous Carlisle Bridge in 1878: "Carlisle Bridge/ declared toll free by/ Sir Sydney H Waterlow BART MP/ Governor of the Honourable the Irish Society/ on the first day of January, 1878, a moiety of the cost/ of freeing the bridge from toll having been paid/ by that honourable body, and the other moiety by the/ ratepayers of the following electoral divisions:/ City and Suburbs, Waterside, Lower Liberties, Upper Liberties, Clondermott/ Lough Enagh, Ardmore, Bond's Glen, Claudy, Eglinton and Tamnamore in/ the Union of Londonderry, Faughanvale in the Union of Limavady, all in/ the Co of Londonderry; Dunnalong, Ballymagorry, Ballyneanor, Mountcastle/ and Donemanagh, in the Union of Strabane and County of Tyrone./Samuel Maxwell Alexander JP DL Chairman of Bridge Commissioners./ Henry Darcus JP Mayor Derry". Immediately below it is a cast bronze plaque reading: "This tablet/ records the freeing from toll of the upper roadway of/ Carlisle Bridge/ pursuant to the provisions of 40 & 41 VUC Chap CXCVI/ and was removed from Carlisle Bridge and placed in this position/ with the approval of the Honourable the Irish Society/ AD 1933./ Alderman Sir Charles A. Ratho BT - Governor of the Society/ Leslie C. Landragin - Secretary of the Society" The parapet originally continued SE as a finely-dressed granite stone wall. It has since been replaced with a vertical steel railing. The downstream parapet was similar. However, both these ends have been replaced with vertical steel railing, probably when this end of the bridge was reconfigured for the new road approaches when its lower deck was converted from rail to road. The NW end of the deck spans the Foyle Road (it originally spanned the GNR railway as well) and ends in a roundabout, from which John St runs NE and Abercorn Rd to west. This end of the upstream parapet terminates in a finely-dressed granite pier atop the aforementioned granite screen wall. It, too, carries an Art-Deco lamp standard. On its road face is a cast-bronze plaque which reads: "City of Londonderry/ Craigavon Bridge/ This bridge is named after/ the Right Hon the Viscount Craigavon DL MP/ First Prime Minister of Northern Ireland/ and Freeman of the City/ in recognition of his services to Londonderry./ Senator Sir Dudley E.B. McCorkell MBE, JP, DL Mayor of Londonderry/ Alderman Captain J.M. Wilson MC JP Chairman of Bridge Committee/ Sir F. Henry Miller, Town Clerk./ Constructed AD 1931-1933." A dressed granite parapet runs from the NW end of this pier, curving around the corner of the screen wall below to terminate in a pier at the extreme NW end of the bridge. It has an intermediate pier and all three have roll-moulded tops and blind square recesses to their outside faces. The parapet is cut by two wrought-iron gates which once gave access to reinforced-concrete footbridges over the laneway below to the now-demolished Tillie & Henderson shirt factory which once stood at this end of the bridge. A cast bronze plaque on the inside face of the NW terminal pier acknowledges the input of the City Engineer to the original Craigavon Bridge: "City of Londonderry/ Craigavon Bridge/ This tablet is erected to the memory of/ M.A. Robinson M Inst CE/ City Engineer 1909-1929/ to whose foresight was largely due/ the successful initiation of the project/ resulting in the construction of this bridge." A number of modern steel posts have been erected on the footpath at this end to carry decorative hanging baskets. The NW end of the downstream parapet has been replaced with a vertical steel railing. Materials: spans steel deck reinforced concrete & tarmac railings & lamp standards cast metal walls granite block / random rubble sandstone / concrete Setting: The Craigavon Bridge crosses the River Foyle in Derry City, linking the Waterside on the east bank with the Cityside on the west bank.

Architects

Historical Information

Wooden bridge The first bridge across the River Foyle at Londonderry was a multi-span lattice timber bridge which was opened by the Corporation of Londonderry on 23 November 1790. It was designed by the American bridge builder Lemuel Cox and his partner Jonathan Thompson using imported American oak. It stood some 200yds downstream from the Craigavon Bridge and measured 1068ft long by 40ft wide (326m x 12m). It had an opening section partway along it to enable boats to pass up and down the river. Its c.£16,500 cost was recouped by a toll payable at its west bank end. This bridge is captioned 'Wooden Bridge' on the 1837 and 1853 OS maps. Although long gone, it is commemorated in the name Bridge Street beside the Foyleside Shopping Centre, at the foot of which it crossed the river at right angles to the east bank (approx between the Foyleside Roundabout and present railway station on the east bank). Carlisle Bridge In 1861, the Londonderry Bridge Commissioners instigated the erection of a replacement bridge at the bottom of Carlisle Road, upstream from the wooden bridge. Known at the Carlisle Bridge, it was opened 25 September 1863 by George Howard, 7th Earl of Carlisle and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland at that time (and after whom it was named). It was designed by John Hawkshaw CE of London and its erection contracted to Messrs Joseph Bulter & Co of Leeds, being overseen by the resident engineer J. Hughes CE of Londonderry. Costing c.£82,000 it comprised nine 132ft long wrought-iron spans (l.o.a. 1188ft/ 362m) resting on cast-iron piles. The middle span could swivel horizontally to enable boats to pass through. Cox's wooden bridge was demolished soon afterwards. This replacement bridge had two decks: a 24ft wide lower one for a railway line to link the goods lines which ran along the newly-constructed quays along both banks, and an 30ft wide upper one for road vehicles and pedestrians. The railway was built to the Irish standard gauge of 5ft 3in gauge but had a third rail to enable 3ft narrow-gauge running as well. From 1868, the line was operated by the Londonderry Port & Harbour Commissioners. Whether there was a line across the deck between 1863 and 1868 is, however, uncertain. The goods wagons were hauled across by ropes and there was a turntable at each end to turn them through ninety degrees to connect with the quayside lines. This made it possible to move freight between the Great Northern Railway and Londonderry & Lough Swilly railways on the west bank, and Londonderry & Coleraine and Co Donegal railways on the east bank. When the Londonderry & Lough Swilly converted to 3ft gauge in 1883-85, a third line was added between the deck's existing standard gauge lines to enable mixed gauge working. Because of its split levels, the new bridge also required the construction of new high-level approach roads - Carlisle Road on the west bank, and Spencer Road on the east bank. The upper deck also spanned the railway lines running along the quaysides. Under an Act of Parliament, the tolls on the new bridge were abolished on 1 January 1878. The repayments on the loan advanced to the Corporation by the Government for its construction were transferred to the ratepayers. Carlisle Bridge is explicitly captioned on the 1904 and 1932 OS maps. Craigavon Bridge In 1929, the Stormont Parliament passed 'The Londonderry Corporation (New Bridge) Act (Northern Ireland)' to pave the way for a replacement to the Carlisle Bridge. This, the third bridge over the Foyle, was designed by London-based civil engineers Mott, Hay & Anderson. Much of the impetus for its construction came from the Corporation's Engineer, M.A. Robinson. It was erected immediately downstream from Carlisle Bridge by Dorman, Long & Co Ltd of Middlesborough under the direction of Mr A. A. Symmington, resident engineer. Work started in 1931 and the new bridge was officially opened by the Mayor of Londonderry, Sir Percy Greenaway, two years later on 18 July 1933. The bridge cost £255,500, of which £250,100 was funded by a Government grant and the remainder (£5400) by Londonderry Corporation. It was of riveted steel construction and measured 1260ft long (384m). Like its predecessor, it also had a lower railway deck and an upper road one, both of which were 40ft wide (12m); however, the road deck also had 10ft (3m) wide cantilevered footpaths. Road traffic was transferred from the old to new bridges on 16 March 1933 and rail traffic on 23 April. Carlisle Bridge was subsequently demolished. The new bridge is captioned as 'New bridge under construction' on the 1932 OS map, and as Craigavon Bridge on the 1949, 1953 and 1963 editions. Conversion of lower deck The railway operated by the Port & Harbour Commissioners closed in 1962, followed by the Great Northern Railway on the west bank in 1965. The line along the lower deck was abandoned as a consequence. The now-disused lower deck was subsequently converted to a two-lane road. Messrs Mott were the consulting engineers once again and the conversion work was carried out by Sir Lindsay Parkinson & Co Ltd. A footpath was also added on the downstream side of this deck and approach roads at the SE end were reconfigured in reinforced concrete. The new road on the lower deck was officially opened in 1968. Recent developments A fourth bridge over the Foyle was opened on 17 October 1984 some 2½ miles downstream at McAdam's Bank to carry through traffic and alleviate the acute congestion created by the bottleneck at Craigavon Bridge. Known as the Foyle Bridge, the central span of this high-level steel-and-concrete bridge is the longest in Ireland at 766ft (234m). On 25 June 2011 a fifth bridge, the pedestrian-only Peace Bridge, was opened half a mile downstream to connect the former city quayside with Ebrington Barracks. Three bridges now cross the Foyle - the Craigavon Bridge (1933/ 1968), Foyle Bridge (1984), and Peace Bridge (2011). References - Primary Sources: 1. PRONI OS/6/5/20/1. First edition OS six-inch map, Londonderry sheet 20 (1837). 2. PRONI OS/6/5/13/2. Second edition OS six-inch map, Co Londonderry sheet 13 (1853). 3. The City Press, 3 October 1863. 4. PRONI OS/10/5/14/10/1. First edition OS 25-inch map, Co Londonderry sheet 14-10 (1904). 5. PRONI OS/10/5/14/10/2. Second edition OS 25-inch map, Co Londonderry sheet 14-10 (1932). 6. Civil Engineering, 1933, volume 29, p.285. 7. PRONI OS/10/5/14/10/4. Third edition OS 25-inch map, Co Londonderry sheet 14-10 (1949). 8. PRONI OS/10/5/14/10/5. Fourth edition OS 25-inch map, Co Londonderry sheet 14-10 (1953). 9. PRONI OS/6/5/14/6. Sixth edition OS six-inch map, Co Londonderry sheet 14 (1963). 10. Commemorative plaques at both ends of the bridge. References - Secondary Sources: 1. J.R.L. Currie, The Northern Counties Railway Volume 1: 1845-1903, pp 115-116 (Newton Abbot: David & Charles, 1973). 2. W.A. McCutcheon, The Industrial Archaeology of Northern Ireland, pp 39 and 122, and plate 37.5 (Belfast: HMSO, 1980). 3. B. Mitchell, On the Banks of the Foyle, p.6 shows late 1800s photography by W. Lawrence (Belfast: Friar's Bush Press, 1989). 4. A. Murray, Across the Foyle: a History of the River Crossings at Derry from Earliest Times (Derry: Guildhall Press, 1990). 5. S. Johnson, Johnson's Atlas & Gazetteer of the Railways of Ireland, pp 130-131 (Leicester: Midland Publishing, 1997). 6. R.C. Cox & M.H. Gould, Civil Engineering Heritage: Ireland, pp 195-196 and 206-207(London: Thomas Telford, 1998).

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

A. Style B. Proportion C. Ornamentation D. Plan Form F. Structural System G. Innovatory Qualities J. Setting

Historic Interest

S. Authenticity T. Historic Importance V. Authorship W. Northern Ireland/International Interest Z. Rarity R. Age

Evaluation

A two-tier metal-grider bridge of 1933 crossing the River Foyle at Londonderry to designs by Mott, Hay & Anderson, it links the Waterside on the east bank with the Cityside on the west bank. There were two previous bridges crossing the River Foyle; a lattice timber bridge of 1790 which was then replaced by the Carlisle Bridge in 1863. The Craigavon Bridge was built with a lower railway deck and an upper road one. In 1968 the lower deck was converted to a road. Structurally, it combines Pratt trusses on the lower deck with standard girder spans at its ends and on the upper deck. The Art-Deco lamp standards along both sides of the upper deck along with the decorative lattice-work railings provide distinctive detailing. Although some of the upper deck's original parapets have been removed along with at least one lamp standard, all the main structural members appear to be original except for the lower deck abutments. The bridge is of economic significance in being, until 1984, the only crossing of the Foyle at Londonderry for local, regional and cross-border traffic. Although now augmented by the Foyle Bridge, it still plays a vital role in the North-West region's road network in uniting Londonderry's east and west banks. It is the only example in Northern Ireland of a two-tier bridge and in this respect was innovatory in its day.

General Comments

Date of Survey

15 October 2014