Footbridge and Passenger Gateway, Lisburn Railway Station, Railway Street, Lisburn, Co Antrim, BT28 1XW

Footbridge and Passenger Gateway, Lisburn Railway Station

This metal girder footbridge dates from the late 19th century, originally constructed in wrought iron and replaced with welded steel during the mid-20th century. Despite alterations to its deck and modernisation to incorporate passenger lifts, it retains much of its original character, including the arched passenger gateway on North Circular Road. It forms an integral part of the important group of station buildings and structures within the Lisburn station complex.

The footbridge is located towards the east end of the station and provides passenger access between the main and island platforms and to and from North Circular Road. The section spanning the double-track main line is supported on four cast-metal columns at each end. The tops of these columns are secured to one another with curved cast-metal brackets and cross-braced with diagonal rods fitted with a tensioning ring where they meet in the middle. The outer ends of these braces are welded to the uprights. The span over the two tracks on the north side of the island platform is supported at either end by single pairs of similarly detailed columns. The north end of the deck is level with North Circular Road.

The deck comprises concrete slabs over steel I-beams set between the flanges of the bottom rails of the principal girders. Each girder, of welded steel throughout, comprises a vertical member between its top and bottom rail, with diagonal bracing strips between alternate uprights. The top rails are also secured with diagonal braces from extensions to the ends of the deck transoms. An oval metal plaque on the bridge's parapet identifies it as number 283. Staircases with similarly detailed handrails descend in a westerly direction to each platform, with treads of metal and concrete. The north end of the deck exits to North Circular Road through a gateway in the perimeter wall. A pair of wrought-iron gates are set in a sandstone archway with chamfered jambs and segmental head. Across the outer face of the arch is carved "For railway passengers only". At the south-east and north-west ends of the span over the main line are modern concrete, steel and glass lift towers dating from around 2000.

The footbridge first appears on the 1900 Ordnance Survey map and undoubtedly dates from the station's reconstruction around 1880 by the Great Northern Railway (Ireland) under the direction of its Chief Engineer, W.H. Mills. The principal girders were probably of cast- and wrought-iron originally but have been replaced with welded steel sometime during the mid-20th century. The cast-metal supporting columns may be original, though their later re-casting cannot be discounted. Photographs show the span between the platforms was formerly covered with a curved corrugated metal canopy, now removed.