New Bridge, Cloghog Road / Lower Grange Road, Cookstown, Co Londonderry

The New Bridge carries Lower Grange Road over the Ballinderry River, situated prominently on a minor country road that sees considerable local traffic. Constructed around 1825, its humped profile reveals its early date. The bridge is built of squared and snecked rubble sandstone walls with cut-stone coping, and features four round-headed arches with cut-stone voussoirs—the central arch being larger than the flanking ones. A central keystone is present in the central arch, above which is a cut-stone date stone inscribed “ERECTED BY WILLIAM STEWART ESQ. M.P. AD 1825.” The stone on the east side of the bridge is significantly eroded. Cut-waters are located on the west side between the arches. The road bridge is approximately 6 metres wide. A smaller overflow archway, now overgrown, is situated on the north side, likely intended to manage floodwaters. A bridge is depicted at this location on Ordnance Survey maps from 1833-34, confirming its early construction. Inscriptions above the arch crowns on both sides reiterate that the bridge was built by William Stewart, Esq., M.P. (of Killymoon) in either 1825 or 1828. The bridge’s construction is of local interest and demonstrates the authorship of William Stewart. It possesses industrial archaeological significance and is valued for its style, proportion, ornamentation, plan form, spatial organisation, and setting.