Aghyaran Bridge, Church Road, Castlederg, Co Tyrone, BT81 7XZ

A four-span road bridge, constructed circa 1850, carries Church Road over the River Derg. The bridge is built of ashlar stone piers and abutments, with coursed rubble for the spandrels and parapets. An ashlar stone string-course runs at carriageway level, topped by saddleback stone coping along the parapets. Decorative ashlar stone dressings are present on the voussoirs and V-shaped cutwaters to the piers. Two arches are segmental-headed and feature ashlar stone voussoirs, with rubble stone arch soffits. To the south, a retaining wall, now partially fallen away, continues alongside the riverbank, incorporating two semi-circular flood arches with coursed rubble piers, spandrels, and parapet, also partly ruined, and cement rubble stone soffits. Minor stonework repairs have been undertaken over the years. The carriageway is approximately 6 meters wide.

The bridge first appears on the 1853 Ordnance Survey map and can be dated to the mid-nineteenth century based on its sophisticated stonework detailing and relatively large, segmental-headed arches. The semi-circular flood arches to the south, though less ornamental, share a similar stonework style, indicating a single construction phase. A Catholic church of a similar date is located nearby. The bridge occupies a picturesque, rural setting to the west of Castlederg village, directly south of Aghyaran Methodist Church (HB10/01/004). The riverbanks are bounded by wire fencing and hedging. It is considered to be of industrial archaeological interest, displaying notable style, proportion, ornamentation, plan form, structural system and setting, and possesses local historical interest.