Largy Bridge, Dogleap Road, Ballykelly, Co Londonderry, BT49 9NN

Largy Bridge

Largy Bridge spans the River Roe where the Dogleap Road crosses a rocky ravine between the townlands of Deer Park on the east side and Largy on the west. The Dogleap Road links the Ballyquin and Drumrane Roads which connect Limavady and Dungiven on the east and west sides of the river respectively. The bridge and its dramatic setting within the rocky ravines stretching from Carrick to Roemill form part of the Roe Valley County Park.

The bridge is a late Georgian structure erected under the Grand Jury system in 1828 at a cost of £4000. It consists of two arches: a main north arch spanning the river and a south arch carrying the roadway over the upper rock terrain of the ravine. The roadway between parapets is 4.5 metres wide, with parapet height of 1.2 metres. The north arch spans 12 metres and the south arch spans 7 metres. The north arch springs from rocky ledges approximately six metres above normal water level and, while segmental, is almost semi-circular with a rise of approximately five metres above the springing line. The south arch is dry, springing from rocky ledges with the ground level coinciding with the springing line.

The bridge is constructed of whinstone with thin whinstone voussoirs approximately 600 millimetres in depth. The soffit of the arches is of whinstone on edge. The north arch features four tie rods passing through the width of the arch above the voussoirs and approximately three metres apart. The parapet wall is 29 metres long. The carriageway rises over the main arch from the north side and then levels off from the crest. There is no evidence of the bridge being increased in width beyond its original construction.

The bridge was later widened and became a toll bridge with work carried out around the 1840s by famine relief workers. At the north end on the upstream side is Broughan House, and on the outside of the bend facing the bridge is a former corn store. At the south end, the upstream parapet terminates against brick piers approximately one metre square and 2.4 metres high adjacent to Ritter's former powerhouse. Iron gates can close off the road on this side, with a pass gate within one gate leaf.

A bridge was originally erected here around 1624 by the City of London (Irish Society) when the land was in the ownership of Sir Thomas Phillips. Following a petition by Phillips to the King in July 1624, the Committee stated in article 22 of their reply that the City should consider the necessity of a bridge near the New Town over the river of Roe, noting that the river rose so suddenly that neither horse nor foot could safely pass from Derry to Coleraine, and that £300 would make a fair stone bridge. The bridge collapsed in 1680, and after 1782, when the McCausland family extended their estate, a wooden bridge was erected in its place. The 1828 Grand Jury bridge replaced this wooden structure.

The bridge has altered little since the 1840s except for maintenance, repairs, and the insertion of tie rods on the east arch. Historical records describe it as of local, national and social importance, particularly given its historical associations with Ritter's electricity ventures. The bridge is a focal point in the Roe Valley County Park and, by its setting and juxtaposition with adjoining buildings, helps create a good architectural grouping. It is of industrial archaeological interest and an exciting illustration of rustic late Georgian character in a dramatic setting.