Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB11/16/008

Address :
Stone Bridge Gortnagarn Road Omagh Co Tyrone BT78 5NW

Townland:
Mountjoy Forest West Division / Knockmoyle

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Survey 2:
B2

Date of Listing:
08/07/1991 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:
120-8

IG Ref:
H4366 7764

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Owner Category

Transport

Exterior Description And Setting

A six-span road bridge, built c.1800, carrying Gortnagarn Road over Strule River. Random rubble abutments and spandrels; rubble parapet with rubble coping, largely replaced with concrete blocks surmounted by segmental concrete coping. Round-headed arches with rubble voussoirs; V-shaped cutwaters; cement rendered soffits. Wall extends to field to north containing further four flood arches (diminishing in size). The carriageway is approximately 6m wide. Rubble walling extends to east and west to field boundaries; to north-west, rubble wall has replacement concrete coping and contains single entrance gate to private garden; to north-east wall has partial rubble coping, partially segmental sandstone coping; access to river bank. Roof: N/A Walling: Random rubble Windows: N/A Rainwater goods: N/A

Architects

Not Known

Historical Information

A bridge is shown on the first edition OS map of 1833 whose planform would appear to correspond to the present structure, and it is likely, therefore, that it is the 'stone bridge' over the Strule referred to in the Ordnance Survey Memoirs of c.1834. The date of construction is not certain. The bridge is captioned ‘Stone Bridge’ on revised OS map of 1854 and all others thereafter and is also referred to as such in various newspaper reports from at least the 1880s onwards, though Thomas Mellon, writing in 1882, refers to it as 'Cappaigh Bridge'. References - Primary Sources 1. PRONI OS/6/6/25 First Edition OS Map – 1833 2. OS Memoir of Cappagh Parish – c.1834, transcribed in ‘Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland…vol.5’ ed. Angelique Day and Patrick McWilliams, (QUB, 1990) 3. PRONI OS/6/6/25 First revision OS Map - 1854 4. Thomas Mellon's memoirs quoted in 'The Judge: A life of Thomas Mellon, founder of a fortune', by James Mellon, (Yale University Press, 2011) 5. 'Derry Journal' - 13 July 1887, p.8; 23 September 1949, p.8 6. ‘Tyrone Constitution’ – 1 June 1888, p.3 7. PRONI OS/6/6/25 Third Edition OS Map - 1905-6 8. ‘Northern Whig’ – 20 September 1921, p.7; 24 April 1957, p.4 9. ‘Londonderry Sentinel’ – 27 May 1947, p.4 10. ‘Ireland’s Saturday Night’ – 5 July 1947, p.4; 8 October 1949, p.5; 24 April 1957, p.3; 27 April 1957, p.2 11. ‘Belfast Telegraph’ – 12 July 1968, p.11 12. ‘Belfast News-Letter’ – 5 January 1980, p.4

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

A. Style B. Proportion C. Ornamentation D. Plan Form F. Structural System H-. Alterations detracting from building J. Setting

Historic Interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

A six-span road bridge, built c.1800, carrying Gortnagarn Road over Strule River, lengthened by a further four arches to east over agricultural land. The bridge has suffered from substantial rebuilding of the parapet in concrete which has resulted in a loss of character; the remainder of the bridge remains intact. Due to its size/scale, the long rhythm and continuity of its appearance, this bridge remains an impressive structure along the Strule River.

General Comments

Date of Survey

12 February 2009