Sixmilewater Bridge, Church Road, Ballynure, Co.Antrim

This is an attractive and well-constructed two-span road bridge, dating to approximately 1820, situated west of Ballynure and carrying Church Road over the Sixmilewater River. The bridge exhibits characteristics suggestive of an early date, although verifiable records are lacking. It was built using traditional construction methods and remains substantially original, making it a good example of its type. The structure consists of roughly coursed basalt rubble with cut voussoirs to semi-circular arches. The arches spring from basalt piers featuring rubble V-shaped cutwaters. The bridge has spandrels and parapet walls, with the northeast wall being cut short and abutting a timber fence, while the northwest wall extends approximately 200 metres. The southeast parapet continues past a modern house. The carriageway width is approximately 2.5 metres. The bridge is set within a rural location to the west of Ballynure, adjacent to a dwelling to the southeast and an industrial estate to the northeast. The site was first depicted as an uncaptioned bridge on the 1832 Ordnance Survey map, and the ‘Sixmilewater Bridge’ name appeared on the 1857 edition. Successive Ordnance Survey maps from 1832, 1857, and 1902 are held at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI).