Orr’s Bridge, Saintfield Road, Ballygowan, Co. Down, BT23 6HB

A road bridge over the Ballygowan River, likely dating to before 1834 and potentially constructed between 1820 and 1839, is situated on the Saintfield Road, close to the village of Ballygowan in County Down. The bridge is of industrial archaeological interest. The southeastern face of the bridge appears largely original, constructed of flat basalt rubble with a single semicircular arch formed with sandstone voussoirs. Large triangular buttresses flank the arch, now faced in concrete. A small hole, likely for drainage, is located above the arch, accompanied by a projecting stone resembling a shelf. The northwestern face was rebuilt more recently, likely due to the widening of the road, and now features a square concrete arch. The road surface is tarmac. The bridge is shown on Ordnance Survey maps from 1834 and 1858-60 and is labelled 'Orrs Bridge' on both. The road to Saintfield appears to have been widened in recent times, necessitating the rebuilding of the northwestern face. Ownership is by central government.