'New Bridge', Drones Road, Armoy, Ballymoney, County Antrim

The 'New Bridge' is a single-arch road bridge built of rubble stone, carrying Drones Road over the River Bush. It dates from sometime between 1832 and 1857. The bridge is situated on the east side of the village of Armoy, in County Antrim. It is constructed of squared rubble with a segmental arch featuring dressed sandstone voussoirs and a keystone, a sandstone plat band at carriageway level, and sandstone coping to the parapets. The parapets terminate in square piers which project to each face of the bridge.

The bridge was not shown on the Ordnance Survey map of 1832, but appears on the 1857 map, labelled ‘New Br[idge]’. It was constructed to carry a new stretch of Drones Road, providing a route for travel between Ballycastle and Ballymena and circumventing the village of Armoy. Construction likely occurred around 1835-1840, corresponding with the period when new roads were being built in the area, as noted in Lewis's 'Topographical Dictionary' of 1837. The bridge is noted for its industrial archaeological interest and contributes significantly to its surroundings.