McComb's Bridge, Castlewellan Rd, Rathfriland, Newry, Co Down

McComb's Bridge carries the main Rathfriland to Castlewellan Road over the Upper Bann River, approximately two miles east of Rathfriland, in the townlands of Ballycoshone Lower and Lenish. The bridge dates from between 1740 and 1759 and is a well-proportioned and finely executed example of an 18th-century structure.

The bridge consists of three semicircular arches, with the central arch being the highest and widest. It is constructed of random rubble granite throughout and incorporates angled cutwaters at carriageway level on both sides. Projecting stones along the arch spring lines mark the position of the falsework used in construction. The parapets are coped with squared granite blocks and are 43cm thick. The carriageway is 6.2 metres wide, rising slightly from west to east, and the bridge has an overall width of 7.06 metres.

More recently, metal tie bars have been inserted across the spandrels, and the soffits have been treated with a sprayed concrete coating called “gunnite” while the river banks have been reinforced with shuttered concrete. The river bed has been stabilized with boulders.

A road is depicted crossing the Bann River at this location on Moll’s 1714 map, and a bridge is labelled on Harris’s 1743 map. The 1833 Ordnance Survey six-inch map references the bridge by name, and the 1836 Ordnance Survey Memoir describes it as an old structure of unhewn stone, in relatively poor condition, with parapets 5 feet high (measured from the carriageway). The memoir recorded the river as 66 feet wide, the bridge’s total length as 156 feet, and its breadth as 18 feet. While the existing bridge's parapets are now lower, its width corresponds with the earlier measurements. The random rubble stonework and full-length cutwaters suggest a date within the 18th century.

The bridge is of industrial archaeological interest, demonstrating notable architectural qualities of style, proportion, plan form, and structural system, and possessing local historical significance. It is currently owned by Central Government and remains in use as a road bridge.