Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB24/13/070

Address :
Railway bridge (West of) Holmea Farm 111 Comber Road Castleaverry Newtownards Co. Down BT23 4QS

Townland:
Castleaverry

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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:
148/7

IG Ref:
J4834 7113

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Owner Category

Private

Exterior Description And Setting

Bridge (formely over a railway line) to the W of Holmlea Farm, c.2 miles S of Newtownards. The bridge carries a narrow curving country lane and ascends westwards into a bank. It has splayed ends with end piers. The bridge is built of rock-faced sandstone with an elliptical arch with slightly battered abutments to each side of arch. Above the arch is a slightly projecting course with coping to the parapet. The N side is still largely visible but the ground level has been raised somewhat (and the railway cutting filled in). The S side of the bridge now has a large modern farm gabled outbuilding built against it and the arch has been filled in with the area to the E side of the arch faced in cement render. The lane itself is covered in tarmac.

Architects

Not Known

Historical Information

This bridge was constructed as part of the railway line (Belfast & Co. Down Railway) linking Belfast, Comber and Newtownards, which opened in May 1850. The line was abandoned in 1953. References- Primary sources 1 PRONI OS Maps 1st rev. 1859-60, Co. Down 10. Secondary sources 1 E.M. Patterson 'The Belfast & County Down railway' (Lingfield: Oakwood Press 1958). 2 E.R.R. Green 'The industrial archaeology of Co. Down' (HMSO 1963), p.62. 3 W.A. McCutcheon 'The Industrial Archaeology of Northern Ireland' (HMSO 1980), pp.174-177.

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

Not listed

Historic Interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Note that this bridge is on private land. Sandstone road bridge over the site of former railway line. A large farm outbuilding has been built against the south side of the bridge and the ground level on both sides has been raised with former railway cutting now filled.

General Comments

Date of Survey

17 September 1998