Lyons Bridge, Raleagh Road, Drumnaconagher / Raleagh, Ballynahinch, Co Down

This is a small, rubble-built road bridge, likely dating to between 1820 and 1839, carrying Raleagh Road over the Ballynahinch River. Situated approximately 2.5 miles east of Ballynahinch, it is of group value for its age, style, proportions, detailing, and character, with its extension contributing to its interest. The bridge is constructed largely from random fieldstone rubble, featuring a single semicircular arch. The arch’s voussoirs—the wedge-shaped stones—are roughly dressed fieldstone on the southwest side and dressed granite on the northeast side, suggesting a possible widening, likely in the later 1800s. The underside ("soffit") of the arch is currently covered in recent render, and metal ties have been inserted into the structure. The road surface is tarmac. A bridge is depicted on an Ordnance Survey map of 1834, named "Lyons Bridge." Ordnance Survey Memoirs from 1836 describe the bridge as small, measuring 66 feet by 9 feet between buttresses and appearing ancient, with the arch heavily overgrown with ivy. This suggests an earlier 18th-century origin, although the dimensions indicate either a rebuild or widening occurred sometime after 1836. The bridge holds local historical interest and is also noted for its industrial archaeological significance.