Railway Bridge, Helen's Bay Railway Station, Helen's Bay, Bangor, Co Down

A single-arch masonry bridge, built c.1862 in Scottish baronial style at the west end of Helen’s Bay Station. It carries the double-track Belfast-Bangor railway line over a diagonally-running avenue between Helen’s Bay and Clandeboye House. The bridge is constructed in rock-faced quarried blackstone embellished with sandstone. The abutments are of rock-faced blackstone blocks laid to courses. Dressed sandstone quoins. The arch is of two-centred profile. Its voussoirs comprise five in-stepped courses of chamfered ashlar sandstone, with vee jointing between courses. The soffit is of rubbed ashlar sandstone. The spandrels are of random rubble blackstone. Set over the crown of the arch is a large recessed triangular panel delineated by two courses of ashlar sandstone (continuations of the top two arch voussoirs). It contains the Dufferin family heraldic shield surmounted by a coronet and flanked to each side by a lion rampant. Below the shield on the south face is the inscription ‘Per Vias Rectas’ (by the right ways); it is now indecipherable on the other shield. A moulded sandstone string course runs along the base of the parapet, rising over the apex of the coat of arms. The parapets are at station platform level and are detailed as the spandrels. They rise in two steps over the apex of the coat of arms and are coped with cut sandstone blocks. The arch is delineated to each side by a half-round turret of ashlar sandstone blocks. The turrets are set over moulded corbels at arch spring level and are surmounted by ashlar sandstone conical spires. There is a slit opening towards the top of each turret at platform level, over which the parapet string course rises. The parapet copings also continue as a string course around the base of each turret spire. On the rail side of each turret, at platform level, is a small square-headed circular recess within the turret. The wing walls are of quarried rubble blackstone and form part of the adjoining coach yard (HB/23/15/039E). Setting Located in Helen's Bay to the west of the railway station (HB23/15/039A) and carrying the Belfast-Bangor railway line over Clandeboye Avenue. To the east are the station platforms (HB23/15/039B) and to the north the associated coach yard (HB23/15/039E) and related road bridge (HB23/15/039F). Materials: Stone