Bridge over railway, at east end of Fountain Street, Antrim, Co Antrim

This is an early Victorian railway bridge of masonry construction, built around 1847 to carry Fountain Street over a railway line. It was designed by the notable Irish engineer and architect, Charles Lanyon, and constructed by contractor William Dargan. The bridge is a single arched, tunnel-like structure, skewed at one end, built of snecked basalt rubble with a segmental archway formed of rusticated sandstone voussoirs. A rusticated sandstone stringcourse projects at carriageway level, and rusticated sandstone quoins define the abutments. The vault is of coursed sandstone, also skewed at the south end. The abutments break forward on either side of the archway, featuring battered faces, with approach walls on the north side angled or curved back. The parapets are of snecked basalt rubble, with rusticated sandstone copings, except for a large granite coping at the western extremity on the north side; all copings are feathered. On the south side, the parapet is joined to a higher basalt rubble retaining wall with basalt rock copings, at the western extremity. The bridge stands at the eastern end of Fountain Street, which runs through the centre of town, and is set within grassy sloping banks. The railway line it crossed has been temporarily removed for repair or replacement. The bridge’s construction aligns with the Belfast and Ballymena Railway Company’s timeline, which advertised the contract in September 1845, awarded it in October 1845, began work in November 1845, and opened in April 1848. While the precise date of construction is unknown, it is believed to be similar to a nearby bridge at Muckamore, dated 1847. The structure possesses industrial archaeological interest.