Gorteen Bridge, Florence Court, Co Fermanagh, BT92 1DB

Gorteen Bridge is a good and rare surviving example of a demesne bridge associated with a sunken carriage trackway, likely constructed between 1760 and 1779. It provides passage for an unsurfaced trackway connecting Cottage Wood and Kennel Field to Gorteen Wood, running beneath an unsurfaced track leading southward from Florence Court into the Kennel Field.

The bridge is built of Carboniferous sandstone rubble and features a single segmental arch, situated 35 metres south of Eel House Bridge. It has a depth of 5.52 metres, a span of 2.60 metres, and a height of 2.30 metres. The arch faces on the east and west sides are distinguished by rusticated, vee-jointed voussoirs. Parapets, approximately 30-40cm high, were restored in 1998-99, and define the carriageway above. The approach to the bridge on the eastern side is excavated into the ground for a length of around 30 metres.

The bridge and associated trackways were not depicted on Mulvihill’s 1768 map but are shown on McKimm’s 1814 map and subsequent Ordnance Survey maps from 1834 onwards. Its construction likely coincided with the laying out of the landscape park in the 1770s, and the similarity of its rusticated voussoirs to those found in the Laundry and Stable Yards supports this dating. The bridge was refurbished in 1998-99. It is part of a group of structures which contribute to the group value of the wider estate.

The creation of sunken trackways for carriages was a characteristic feature of later 18th-century landscape park design, reflecting a desire to enhance the aesthetics of the landscape. This structure is notable as an example of such design, demonstrating industrial archaeological interest and retaining excellent condition.