Bloody Bridge (new), Ballagh Rd, Newcastle, Co Down, BT33 OLA

This is a mid-19th century single semicircular-span bridge carrying the Newcastle – Kilkeel road over the Bloody Bridge River, located a short distance downstream from an earlier bridge of the same name. The bridge’s interest lies in its contrast in scale and construction with the earlier bridge, illustrating the evolution of bridge design.

The bridge is constructed of granite and Silurian rubble masonry, with roughly-dressed granite voussoirs and quoins, and regularly coursed abutments resting directly on bedrock. The parapets are of random rubble coped with large granite blocks. The bridge is relatively wide between its upstream and downstream faces. Markings on the underside of the arch (soffit) indicate that it was built in three successive stages. The road is carried high over the upstream half of the bridge, and a footpath runs directly over the crown on the downstream side. The left bank is faced with concrete immediately upstream of the bridge. Both faces of the bridge are heavily overgrown.

The bridge and its associated road are shown on the 1859 Ordnance Survey map but not on the 1834 Ordnance Survey map, confirming its mid-19th century date. It replaced an older bridge situated further upstream. The bridge is of industrial archaeological interest due to its construction and its group value, when considered alongside the earlier bridge.