Bridge carrying main road at, Magheramorne Cement Works, 100 Shore Road, Magheramorne, Larne, Co Antrim

This is an early Victorian bridge, likely built around 1853, serving as part of the road from Carrickfergus to Larne. The bridge carries the main road over a tunnel that links a former limestone quarry with the quays to the north, located at the Magheramorne Cement Works. It was probably designed by Charles Lanyon, who was County Surveyor at the time. The bridge is constructed of snecked basalt with shaped sandstone voussoirs forming the arches. The parapets are of basalt rubble, with similar raking copings to the splayed abutments. Later concrete strengthening, in the form of a blind arcading, was added at the base of the abutments within the tunnel, presumably to protect the masonry. The bridge appears on an Ordnance Survey map dating from 1857. Although a typical example of Victorian engineering, it is modest in scale and conventional in design. The tunnel entrances are overgrown, and the bridge’s features are partially obscured by overgrowth at the roadside. The appearance of the archway is marred by its use as a conduit for industrial pipes. The bridge is of industrial archaeological interest.