Articlave Bridge, Quilley Road, Articlave, Coleraine, Co Londonderry, BT51

A skew-arched stone and brick bridge carrying the main Coleraine-Downhill road over the Articlave River a short distance east of the village of the same name. The abutments are of squared rubble basalt, brought to courses and with a slightly advanced course along its base. The abutments are embellished with rusticated and margined quoins. There are narrow tapered buttresses to each side, with similarly detailed quoins. The arch is of segmental profile and also has similarly detailed voussoirs; its soffit is of skewly-laid brick. The spandrels are as the abutments. The parapet are of random rubble basalt coped with rusticated and margined sandstone blocks. There is considerable ivy grown at the SE end of the bridge. The deck carries two lanes of traffic and a footpath along its north side. The approach walls are of random rubble basalt. The western approach is much longer than the eastern one and is buttressed along its N side. Approx 20m west of the bridge is a gap through the north parapet on the approach to an earthen ramp giving access to the field on the left bank immediately north of the bridge. The parapets make a downward quarter-turn on both sides of the gap. There is a wider opening on the opposite side of the road, with a ramp down to the field on this side; however, the parapet makes a downward turn on the river side of the gap only. Just beyond these gaps in the parapets is a now-dry culvert which formerly carried a head race under the road to a flax mill some distance to the north of the bridge on the left bank. Its stonework is detailed as the main bridge and it also has a semicircular brick soffit. As this race cuts off the fields between it and the river, it was obviously necessary to have the two access ramps down to these fields. Setting The bridge lies a short distance east of Articlave, in open countryside with fields to all sides. Schedule: Basalt abutments and parapet Sandstone dressings