DDiscover AloneMapAbout

Bridge in Clontarf West

Bridge
Bridge in Clontarf West
Photo: Dwmalone, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Report the wrong picture

What is recorded here

Single-arched skew railway bridge, built c. 1840, carrying Dublin-Belfast Railway over Howth Road. Steel girder superstructure and steel balustrades supported on rusticated channelled limestone abutments flanked by projecting rock-faced rusticated limestone piers having cut limestone parapets with carved granite…

Read the whole record
Single-arched skew railway bridge, built c. 1840, carrying Dublin-Belfast Railway over Howth Road. Steel girder superstructure and steel balustrades supported on rusticated channelled limestone abutments flanked by projecting rock-faced rusticated limestone piers having cut limestone parapets with carved granite capping and cornice to base of parapet. Curved sloping roughly-hewn limestone wing walls terminating in square-plan piers, with cut granite coping to wing walls and piers.
This well-executed bridge is representative of the technical skill in engineering and masonry in the nineteenth century. Built to carry the Dublin & Drogheda Railway, which later became the Great Northern Railway, this bridge also serves the DART line and is a key part of the public transport infrastructure of Dublin City and the island of Ireland. John MacNeill, the engineer of the D&DR, may have overseen the construction of this bridge. Such girder bridges would originally have been constructed using wrought-iron, as prior to the 1870s, steel was not deemed strong enough. It is likely that the current carriageway replaces an earlier one. Forming a group with the adjacent former station building, it serves as a physical reminder of the social and industrial importance of the railway network in the late nineteenth century.

The story behind this place

This well-executed bridge is representative of the technical skill in engineering and masonry in the nineteenth century.

From the Buildings of Ireland (National Inventory of Architectural Heritage) record 50030281

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

What do you know about this place?Tap to add a comment or ask a question

What you write will be public.

More pictures of this place

Dublin, Howth Road railway bridge.
Dublin, Howth Road railway bridge. · Photo: Dwmalone · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dublin, Howth Road railway bridge.
Dublin, Howth Road railway bridge. · Photo: Dwmalone · CC BY-SA 4.0

Places near here

Photo credits
  • National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
  • Taken by Fanghong, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
  • Anonymous Unknown author, Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
  • JP, Geograph · CC BY-SA 2.0
  • Phillip Perry, Geograph · CC BY-SA 2.0
  • Eric Jones, Geograph · CC BY-SA 2.0
  • Dwmalone, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
  • Hugh Frazer, Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
railway station56 yd

Explorer Tom Railway station in Clontarf West, County Dublin, is playing dress-up as a modern building but still smells like 1844 coal. The seagulls are gossiping about the trains that stopped coming here decades ago. Go now before they start charging you for the nostalgia again.

station master's house66 yd

Explorer Tom Station master's house in Clontarf West was built around 1880 for the railway. It has red brick construction and polychrome detailing. It’s now a private house. Take a pic for me if you see it.

StudioGallery · 561 yd

Explorer Tom Studio in County Dublin is hiding in plain sight. It’s a gallery, but the photo shows a bedroom? Take a picture for me and tell me which one it is!

Burial in Unknown TownlandBurial · 639 yd

Explorer Tom Burial in Dublin was found when they were building Georgian houses at Marino Crescent, so the foundations are basically history. The poet who fell nearby would be proud of this architectural accident. Perfect spot to practise your best tour-guide voice.

London Plane685 yd

Explorer Tom London Plane in County Dublin is playing hide-and-seek with my curiosity. It’s got that fancy trunk look, so pretend you’re a lost aristocrat and nobody will check your credentials.

St. Dennis WellHoly well · 738 yd

Explorer Tom St. Dennis Well in County Dublin used to be called St. Philip's Well on old maps. It was part of a demesne near Clontarf Castle, but now it's just a tarmac area at No. 35 Stiles Road.

Casino at MarinoHeritage attraction · 757 yd

Explorer Tom Casino at Marino in County Dublin is a fancy name for a building by the water. It's not for gambling, unless you count losing your sense of direction. Take a picture of the view.

Clontarf CastleCastle, Anglo-Norman masonry castle · 961 yd

Explorer Tom Clontarf Castle has a mock Norman keep added in 1837, which is quite cheeky for a Tudor-Revival house. Adam de Phephoe was there way back when. Bring your worst joke, the place has heard worse from tourists.

Clontarf Castle HotelVisitor information · 1094 yd

Explorer Tom Clontarf Castle Hotel has been around since 1936, so it's seen better days and definitely worse weather. The picture shows it looking a bit tired, so maybe the ghost of the original owner is just napping in the lobby.

East Point Business ParkVisitor information · 1222 yd

Explorer Tom East Point Business Park is a visitor information centre? Who visits a business park for fun? Probably just lost accountants and very confused tourists. Ask them if the coffee is still hot.

Seán Russell Memorial StatueMemorial · 1407 yd

Explorer Tom The Seán Russell Memorial Statue in Fairview Park was once painted with a rainbow base, which is very on-brand for Dublin. He looks serious now, but he used to be colorful. Get that shot!

Battle of ClontarfMajor battlefield · 1635 yd

Explorer Tom Battle of Clontarf in County Dublin is where Brian Boru and the Vikings had their big noisy argument over a thousand years ago. The ground probably still remembers who kicked whom, so step gently or you’ll wake them up.

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

Next place · or swiperailway station