Bridge, Drumaghlis Road, Drumaghlis / Rademan, Ballynahinch, Co Down

A rubble-built, triple arch road bridge, likely dating to between 1820 and 1839, carries the Drumaghlis Road over the Ballynahinch River. The bridge is situated approximately 3½ miles east of Ballynahinch, near Kilmore Presbyterian Church. The structure is constructed from random fieldstone rubble, featuring three semicircular arches. Rubble also forms the parapets, with metal ties inserted into the bridge’s structure. The road surface is currently tarmac.

An earlier bridge at this location is depicted on an Ordnance Survey map of 1834. While the 1858 revised map suggests a marginal alteration to the road’s and bridge’s orientation (potentially indicating a rebuild), later Ordnance Survey maps show the road’s configuration as it was in 1834. The design, including the three semicircular arches and overall straightness, implies construction before the later date. The bridge is of group value, contributing to the historic character of the setting of the nearby Kilmore Presbyterian Church. It has industrial archaeological interest, and is notable for its style, proportion, detailed design, surviving plan form, construction, and local historical importance. Sources consulted include Ordnance Survey maps from 1834, 1858 and circa 1974, and Peter O’Keefe and Tom Simington’s ‘Irish stone bridges: History and heritage’.