Iron footbridge, over the Six Mile Water, south-east of Muckamore Bridge, adjacent to Seven Mile Straight, Muckamore, Antrim, Co Antrim

Iron Footbridge over the Six Mile Water, Muckamore

This is an early 19th-century cast iron pedestrian bridge of graceful form and distinct proportions, constructed in 1822 by William Chaine of Ballycraigy House as a private footbridge on his estate. The manufacturer was H & R Baird of Glasgow, as confirmed by plaques affixed to each arch.

The bridge comprises a single narrow span with two segmental arched cast iron girders constructed in sections. The ribs are perforated to give a latticed appearance, and the upper rails are embossed with decorative lozenge panels for similar visual effect. The spandrel panels are filled with Gothic arched intersecting tracery. Some remnants of timber superstructure remain in place, though the carriageway is otherwise missing. A modern latticework supporting structure of plain steel sections has been fixed around the bridge, forming an undercarriage and side railings, with ends closed off to prevent access. This later framework detracts from the original appearance, though the bridge retains its most important architectural elements.

This is a comparatively early example of an iron bridge. The first of its type was the Iron Bridge at Coalbrookdale, designed by Thomas Pritchard with Abraham Darby in 1779. The first in Ireland was the Liffey Bridge in Dublin (reputedly by John Windsor, a foreman of Abraham Darby) in 1816, followed by Barrington Bridge in County Limerick by J. Doyle in 1818. The Muckamore bridge may well be the third earliest in the whole of Ireland and appears to be the earliest in Northern Ireland, making it of national interest. It is apparently the only example of its type in Northern Ireland.

Visually, the bridge may be compared with cast iron arched bridges by the Scottish-born engineer Thomas Telford (1757–1834). Telford's Bonar Bridge in Scotland (1811–12, destroyed 1892) established the definitive form for cast iron arched bridges with ribs lightened by perforations and lateral bracing, combined with lozenge-framed spandrels. The same moulds were used for Telford's Craigellachie Bridge in Scotland, completed in 1815 and rebuilt in welded steelwork above arch level in 1963. Although the Muckamore bridge is much smaller in scale and features Gothic intersecting tracery rather than lozenges in the spandrels, it is visually similar in character.

The bridge is recorded in the Ordnance Survey Memoirs of the 1830s, which noted: "There are 2 narrow wooden and 1 metal bridge, the property of William Chaine Esquire, across this stream [the Six Mile Water]. They can be crossed by a horse or pedestrians, but are not public thoroughfares." Ordnance Survey maps of 1832 show a small bridge at this location, and the 1857 map marks it as 'Iron Foot Bridge', though it does not appear on the 1962–3 map.

The bridge stands in a rural setting a short distance from the main road, linking the south bank of the river with an island to the north. Grassed areas occupy both banks, with the main approach passing through a small area of park-like common land. Mature trees and bushes grow adjacent to the bridge.