Bridge on Amiens Street, County Dublin

This does not grant access. Most recorded buildings are privately owned; view them only from public ground unless the owner allows entry.

What is recorded here

Read the whole record

Railway bridge, erected 1891, forming component of City of Dublin Junction Railway or Loop Line Bridge, carrying railway tracks over Amiens Street. Comprises central steel span supported on double row of piers spanning road, masonry span to southwest and red brick spans to northeast. Steel girder base over carriageway having steel panels forming parapets. Carriageway supported on cylindrical cast-iron fluted columns with round plinth bases and moulded detailing to neck. Maker’s insignia to plinth base of piers 'A. Handyside & Co Ltd./Derby London'. Square-plan yellow brick piers on brown brick plinth bases to southeast of bridge. Yellow brick abutment walls to ends of steel span having block-and-start limestone quoins and limestone coping. Masonry span to southwest with segmental arch having red brick voussoirs, rusticated coursed limestone spandrel and parapet walls and red brick coping, splayed limestone abutments to southwest of span. Double arch to northeast of central span with segmental arches, red brick voussoirs, red brick spandrel and parapet walls, arches blocked.

The Loopline Railway bridge, alternately known as the Liffey Viaduct or the City of Dublin Junction Railway, was constructed between 1889 and 1891 to link Connolly Station on the north side of the river to Westland Row on the south. A rail link was needed to aid the movement of transatlantic mail coming from Kingstown and Queenstown (now Dún Laoghaire and Cóbh), although this proposed viaduct was controversial as it blocked the view to the Customs House and altered the skyline of the city. More than a century on, it remains a key part of the public transport infrastructure of the city. This portion of the bridge, carrying the railway over Amiens Street into Connolly Station, provides an interesting focal point within the streetscape, its aesthetically-pleasing cast-iron fluted piers providing a point of visual and technological interest. The viaduct was designed by J. Chalconer Smith, then engineer to the Dublin, Wicklow and Wexford Railway Company and cost around £350,000 to complete.

From the Buildings of Ireland (National Inventory of Architectural Heritage) record 50010117

Places near here

Picture notes

The Carlisle Kid, Geograph · Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0
National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
Eric Jones, Geograph · CC BY-SA 2.0
Computer-made picture. It does not show this monument.
Computer-made picture. It does not show this playground.
Unknown author Unknown author, Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
Computer-made picture. It does not show this garden.
Agence Rol, Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

Irish Rail Head Office, Connolly StationOffice · 24 yd

Explorer Tom Irish Rail Head Office, Connolly Station in County Dublin is showing off its campanile tower from 1880. It’s all Italianate brickwork and red sandstone, looking very important next to the station. Don’t wander into the offices unless you have a train ticket or a really good excuse for being there.

O'Neills LocksmithShop/retail outlet · 24 yd

Explorer Tom O’Neills Locksmith on Amiens Street is a Victorian brick shopfront with an ornate curvilinear parapet and ball finial. It’s got those decorative console brackets that make it look like it’s ready to unlock the secrets of the universe, or just your door.

Tass O'CollectionsHouse · 26 yd

Explorer Tom Tass O’Collections on Amiens Street has a shopfront that looks like it was bolted on in a hurry. Built around 1830, it’s got a cast-iron hopper sticking up like a weird antenna. Take a pic; I want to see if the hopper is still functional or just decorative nonsense.

J. & M. ClearySignal box · 27 yd

Explorer Tom J. & M. Cleary was a signal box before it became a pub, so it’s basically a train that learned to drink. Joyce wrote about it, and I’m pretty sure the gilded signwriting is judging your outfit. Twist your luck and grab a pint inside!

1974 Dublin and Monaghan Bombings MemorialMonument · 127 yd

Explorer Tom This monument for the 1974 bombings stands on Talbot Street. Thirty-three people died that day, which was the worst loss during The Troubles.

Blessed Virgin MaryWayside shrine · 226 ydComputer-made picture

Explorer Tom Another Blessed Virgin Mary in County Dublin? She’s got a serious identity crisis or a very good clone. I’d say she’s posing for a very expensive portrait session right now.

Children's playground246 ydComputer-made picture

Explorer Tom Children's playground in County Dublin feels like it’s got a secret. Perhaps there’s a hidden entrance to a goblin kingdom behind the bushes? Take a picture for me if you pass!

1913 LockoutMemorial · 291 yd

Explorer Tom The 1913 Lockout memorial marks where strikers clashed with police on Sackville Street. It’s a rough spot now, so keep your eyes open.

Aldborough HouseBarracks · 377 ydComputer-made picture

Explorer Tom Aldborough House Barracks hosted a dramatic incident where a general got stuck in a window frame. He refused to be helped until he’d had three whiskeys, which is peak Irish, so practise your Irish on it, it won't correct you.

Memorial GardenGarden · 478 ydComputer-made picture

Explorer Tom Memorial Garden in County Dublin remembers things we don't know about. The statues are likely judging your posture. Stand straight and nod respectfully for me!

Burning of the Custom HouseArmed conflict · 522 yd

Explorer Tom Burning of the Custom House in County Dublin was a bargain gone wrong with fire involved. It looks dramatic from a distance, which is good for photos. Stand back, squint, and it looks like a castle.

Samuel Beckett BridgeVisitor information · 878 yd

Explorer Tom Samuel Beckett Bridge is strutting across the Liffey like it owns the place. The North Wall view looks mint from up there. Get a shot of the arch for me, yeah?

More historic places in County Dublin · All of County Dublin

Add to this placeAdd a picture Add a detailed tip Add a story

Explore the map1,093,392 places to discover