Sistrakeel Bridge, Tirmacoy Road, Ballykelly, Co Londonderry

The Sistrakeel Bridge, built between 1900 and 1919, spans the Ballykelly River on Tirmacoy Road, near Ballykelly in County Londonderry. It replaces an earlier Georgian-period bridge, and stands within a narrow, leafy glen. The bridge is a confidently designed stone structure of sturdy proportions, displaying some sophisticated stonework. It has not been altered since 1909 and remains reasonably well maintained, making a positive contribution to the roadscape as it passes between the sides of the glen.

The bridge is a single segmental arch, approximately five metres in span with a road width of six metres. The walls rise vertically from footings in the riverbed to a height of 1.8 metres, from which the segmental arch springs. The arch is constructed of bold, rock-faced voissoirs of even width and height. Bold piers rise above parapet level on either side of the arch, finished with heavy, shallow pyramidal piers. A plain string course runs between the piers and slightly above the arch voissoirs. The structure is built of random rubble iron-stained schist with sandstone coping to the low parapet wall, which extends five to six metres beyond the piers, returning at right angles for 1.5 metres. A datestone set in a recessed, moulded rectangular panel records "County Londonderry Sistrakeel Bridge built 1909."

The earlier bridge, replaced by the present structure, was described in the Ordnance Survey Memoirs as having a single 15-foot wide arch, a 20-yard-long wall, 2.5 feet high and 18 inches thick, and a 21-foot-wide top built of freestone at the county’s expense. The current bridge was erected following the formation of the County Council under the Local Government Act of 1898, which had responsibility for main roads. The bridge has industrial archaeological interest and is currently in use for its original purpose.