Railway Viaduct, Glen Park, Off Shore Road, Newtownabbey, Co Antrim, BT37

This twin-arch masonry viaduct carries one track of the Belfast-Larne railway over the Three Mile Water (here known as Valentine's Glen). Its abutments, pier, spandrels and parapets are of quarry-dressed squared random rubble. The arches are of semicircular profile and of equal size. The river flows through the north arch and a footpath now runs through the south one. They have rusticated vee-jointed sandstone voussoirs, many of which have been replaced with engineering brick; the soffits are also of brick (probably original). Curved random rubble wing walls project on each side and the river bank and are also faced with squared random rubble. The bridge is embellished with tooled quoins to the abutments and pier, rusticated sandstone string courses through the arches at spring level and across the base of the parapets, and sandstone coping blocks to the parapets and wing walls. A modern galvanised steel railing has been added across the top of the bridge. Near the foot of each arch are three cast-metal braces set parallel with one another, each of which comprises four sections bolted together. They counteract the thrusts imposed on the footings by the relatively high embankments to each side. They are set into the stonework with cement-rich mortar which suggests that they were either rebedded or are later additions. Setting Located in what is now a public park and spanning the river valley among mature planting and naturalised vegetation.