Ballybot Bridge, Newry, Co Down, BT34

Ballybot Bridge is a finely crafted bridge of granite ashlar construction, dating from between 1840 and 1859. It carries the road over the Newry River, situated between Mill Street and King Street. The bridge is remarkably similar in style to Needham Bridge, built just upstream in 1831.

The bridge’s construction is primarily of finely dressed granite ashlar. It features a single, shallow segmental arch set between projecting abutments, which are partially rusticated. The arch has an ashlar soffit, and its v-jointed voussoirs are stepped in groups of three, integrated into the v-channelled horizontal coursing of the spandrels. The parapets are composed of individual blocks of almost smooth granite ashlar, with chamfers along each top edge. These blocks are laid on end and stand 122cm high, measuring 60-70cm across and 40cm deep, and terminate in a partly-rusticated pier at each end, which rise from the abutments and are finished with shallow hipped capstones. A semicircular string course runs below the outside face of the parapet and continues around the abutments. Footpaths are provided on either side of the road.

A 1587 map of Newry indicates a ford existed at this location, serving as the main route from High Street to the Dublin Road. John Rocque's map of circa 1760 depicts an earlier multi-span bridge, labelled 'Old Bridge'. The 1836 Ordnance Survey Memoir described a previous bridge as 168 feet long and 22 feet wide, including the parapet walls, and comprising five arches. Ballybot Bridge replaced this structure in 1846. The bridge is of industrial archaeological interest and lies within a conservation area.