Former railway bridge, Cahard Road, Ballydyan, Ballynahinch, Co Down

This is a single-span, skewed road bridge, built in 1857-58, carrying Cahard Road over the former Belfast & County Down Railway line. The bridge is of industrial archaeological interest, notable for its style, proportion, plan form, and structural system, and possesses local historical interest. The Belfast & County Down Railway line was closed in 1950. The structure is located approximately three miles northeast of Ballynahinch, in the townland of Ballydyan.

The bridge was designed by Sir John MacNeill, chief engineer of the Belfast & County Down Railway Company, and built by contractor Patrick Moore. It was constructed to carry Cahard Road over a new section of the company’s line to Ballynahinch. The bridge is primarily constructed of squared fieldstone with sandstone coping to the parapets, brick voussoirs to the elliptical arch, a sandstone string course at road level, and brick quoins to the parapets. Due to the skew, the underside of the arch is stepped, with further brick voussoirs and sandstone string courses to each side. A section of the parapet coping on the western side has been replaced with concrete, and parts are now rendered.