Bridge, Magherascouse Road (near No.118), Magherascouse, Comber, Co. Down, BT23 5[?RU]

A road bridge, dating approximately from 1856, is located on the Magherascouse Road, about two miles south of Comber, County Down. The bridge is constructed of basalt rubble with a brick elliptical arch, and includes sandstone coping to the parapet, with some patching in concrete. Sandstone quoins appear on the parapet and as a course above the arch. The arch is currently fringed with ‘Tyrolean’ render on both sides. A pipe is attached to the bridge on the northeastern side and an Ordnance Survey benchmark is situated to the right on the northeastern parapet. The road surface is tarmac.

The bridge was likely constructed between 1856 and 1857 to carry the Magherascouse Road over the Belfast, County Down and Monaghan Railway line, which ran between Comber and Downpatrick and opened officially in March 1859. The bridge is shown on the Ordnance Survey map of 1858-60. The railway ceased operation in 1950. The bridge demonstrates industrial archaeological interest.