Bridge by Ardilea House, Ardilea, Clough, Downpatrick, County Down

The bridge at Ardilea is a rubble-built double-span structure likely dating from before 1834. It carries the Ardilea road over an estuary on the northwest coast of Dundrum Bay, and was almost certainly built to serve Ardilea House, which itself dates back to the 1740s. The bridge has group value with Ardilea House.

The bridge is constructed of fieldstone rubble with two semicircular arches, crossing the river at near right angles. It has stone coping along the parapets. A tie has been inserted into the structure, and the short pier between the arches on the western face appears to have been repaired recently.

While the exact date of construction is uncertain, it’s likely that a bridge existed at Ardilea by the 1740s, coinciding with the presence of the original residence, then known as ‘Bellville’. The construction style, including the right-angled crossing of the estuary, suggests a date before 1830, though a later rebuild cannot be ruled out.

Historical sources include Walter Harris's "The ancient and present state of the County of Down" (1744), Taylor's and Skinner's maps of the roads of Ireland (1777), and Ordnance Survey maps from 1834, 1858, and 1901, among others. The bridge possesses industrial archaeological interest.