Old Bridge, Tollymore Park, Newcastle, Co Down

Old Bridge, spanning the Shimna River as it flows through Tollymore Forest Park, is a relatively wide, rubble-built vehicle bridge dating from 1726, though repaired in 1822. It is the oldest of all the bridges within the Tollymore Park estate. The repairs of 1822 may have resulted in substantial alteration, so that much of what is visible today could be largely 19th century in character.

The bridge has a single elliptical arch with dressed voussoirs in red granite, springing from the natural rock outcrops of the riverbanks. A metal rod has been attached to the underside of the arch and protrudes to the east side. The parapets have rough, vertically set rubble coping, with one panel inscribed 'I H 1726' and another reading 'repaird 1822'. At the north and south ends of the bridge, the parapets are splayed. The driving surface — which is unusually wide — is now covered in concrete at the centre and fine gravel at the ends. At the northern end, the west parapet terminates in a short but relatively broad flight of stone steps with low parapets that match those of the bridge; these steps appear to be a recent addition. The bridge overall has a renovated appearance, with an evenness that gives it a somewhat modern feel, making it difficult to identify precisely what repairs have been carried out at various points. To the northwest of the bridge stands a large rock bearing an inscribed dedication to the memory of David Stewart (1885–1970), described as 'the father of state forestry in N. Ireland'.

The bridge was constructed by James Hamilton — whose initials 'I H' appear on the parapet — the 1st Viscount Limerick, in 1726, and is probably the 'bridge of hewn stone' mentioned by Walter Harris in 1744.

The bridge sits within the broader historical landscape of Tollymore Park, whose origins as a designed demesne date to around 1720. In late medieval times, Tollymore and the surrounding townlands were under the lordship of the Magennis family of Upper Iveagh. In 1611, Brian MacHugh Magennis received a royal grant of seven and a half townlands, including the land that now forms the park, from King James I. The estate remained in the Magennis male line until around 1685, when Bernard Magennis died childless and it passed to his sister Ellen, who was married to William Hamilton. On her death, the estate passed to their son James, and then to his son — also named James — who inherited in 1701, was created Viscount Limerick in 1719, and Earl of Clanbrassil (of the second creation) in 1728.

James Hamilton, popularly remembered as Lord Limerick, initiated the development of Tollymore as a naturalistic landscape demesne from around 1720. He enclosed much of the land to form a deer park, began large-scale tree planting, built a hunting lodge, and constructed this Old Bridge. He also rebuilt the parish church at Bryansford, the small estate village to the north of the park, which takes its name from his ancestor Brian Magennis. Around 1750, Lord Limerick began constructing a larger house, likely taking advice on its design from his friend, the English architect Thomas Wright, who visited Ireland in 1746–47 and stayed at Tollymore Park in September 1746. Dr. Pococke, writing in his Tour of Ireland in 1752, records that Lord Limerick had completed two rooms of his new 'pretty lodge' by that date and had also built 'a thatch'd open place to dine in' on the south side of the Shimna River. Just to the north of the house, the Clanbrassil Barn was added in 1757, with the Horn Bridge built to the south around the same time.

Lord Limerick died in 1758 and was succeeded by his son, also named James, who extended the new house and continued his father's tree planting programme. In the 1780s, he erected the Barbican gate at the eastern entrance of the park, the Gothic gate at the Bryansford entrance, the hermitage, Gothic follies and steward's lodge on the Hilltown Road, and a number of bridges within the park, including Ivy Bridge, Parnell's Bridge, and Foley's Bridge — the last named after his wife, Grace Foley. These additions, along with the extensive planting, made Tollymore one of the most attractive estates in Ireland; they also appear to reflect the influence of Thomas Wright. Bernard Scalé's map of Tollymore of 1777 gives a sense of the picturesque character of the park during this period, with a rolling landscape of planting, meadows, rivers, streams, and woodland walks. An advertisement in the Belfast News-Letter of 26 April 1785 offered lodgings in Bryansford village, making much of their 'most pleasing prospect of the Right Hon. Earl of Clanbrassil's much admired demesne, which is beautiful to the sight and extensive to the bounds', and noting the wholesome air and herbage on which goats fed, making the place 'much frequented by ladies and gentlemen for the recovery of lost health'.

James, 2nd Viscount Limerick and 2nd Earl of Clanbrassil, died without issue in 1798, and the park passed to his sister Anne, wife of Robert Jocelyn, 1st Earl of Roden. Their son Robert, 2nd Earl of Roden, inherited the estate in 1802 and built the Bryansford and Barbican gate lodges, the latter of which has since been demolished. He also erected an obelisk monument to the east of the house in memory of his second son James, who died prematurely in 1812. The 2nd Earl and his successor, the 3rd Earl, further developed Bryansford village, making it 'a pleasing place of residence for those persons that like a quiet retreat'. A Roman Catholic church was built at the eastern edge of the village in 1820, school houses in 1823 and 1826, and labourers' dwellings and the large dower house known as The Nest were added around the same time. The 3rd Earl also constructed a water-powered sawmill within the demesne, and in 1865 added another small lodge to the east. He enlarged Tollymore House itself by adding an additional storey to the wings and a tall French château-style roof — somewhat incongruous in character — to the original central block.

Tollymore Park remained in the hands of the Roden family until 1930, when the 8th Earl sold two thirds of the land to the Ministry of Agriculture for afforestation. The remaining third was purchased by the Ministry in 1940, and during the Second World War Tollymore House and part of the grounds were used by the Army. After the war the house fell into disrepair and was demolished by Lord Roden in 1952. In 1955, Tollymore became the first state forest to be designated a Forest Park and was opened to the public. It has continued to be developed for timber production, recreation, conservation, and education. Although the house itself has gone, most of the park's 18th and early 19th century gates, bridges, and lodges have survived.