level crossing

Railway level crossing, erected c. 1900, serving Dublin to Sligo Railway line. Still in active use. Comprises pair of timber gates/barriers with cast-iron and steel fittings. Cast-iron lanterns to timber gates. Concrete posts to gates. Altered single-storey level crossing guard’s house adjacent to the southeast. Located in the rural countryside to the southeast of Edgeworthstown, on the border with County Westmeath (to south).

A typical late nineteenth-century/early twentieth century set of timber level crossing gates, which retain their early cast-iron and steel fittings. These gates were constructed to standard designs by the Great Midland and Western Railway Company and are one of a number of similar structures along the Dublin to Sligo line in County Longford. Many level crossing gates have been replaced in recent years making this example an increasingly rare surviving example. The present crossing gates probably replaced an gate at the same location, erected c. 1855 when the rail line opened, and the timber gates themselves might be modern replacements. They remain an integral element of the industrial heritage of County Longford and of the railway heritage of Ireland, and are an interesting and subtle historical reminder of the work of the great Victorian and Edwardian railway engineers. The altered level crossing guard’s house adjacent to the southeast adds to the setting.