I'm back on a rare fleeting visit to Banbridge town in the County Down. I grew up here but am long gone.
Check out the most excellent rendition of the famous 'Star of the County Down,' by Van Morrison backed by the Chieftains.
Link • Van Morrison and the C...
here in the centre of the town is the famous Cut, commonly refered to as Jingler's Bridge or the Downshire Bridge.
The Cut, Downshire Bridge or Jinglers Bridge
Location: Between Bridge Street and Newry Street, Banbridge
Date Built: 1834
Who Built it: William Dargan
History: The individual character of Banbridge depends to a very great extent upon the cutting and flyover at the summit of the very steep hill over which the old Dublin road passed. It was described in Lewis’s Topographical Dictionary thus: "In the centre of the principal street to the west of the river formerly stood the Market House, a large and inconvenient building, which was taken down in 1832 to make way for a series of improvements.
Prior to that period the street was very steep and difficult to access; but an excavation 200 yards long and 15ft deep, has been made along its centre, crossed by a handsome viaduct of one elliptic arch of hewn granite, under which the mail coaches and other vehicles pass.
The street being very wide, a carriage road was left on each side of the excavation, running parallel with it and on a level with the ground floors of the houses, shops and public buildings: these side roads are protected throughout their entire length by a stone wall rising from the bottom of the excavation to the height of three feet above their level.
This great undertaking was completed in 1834, at an expense, including the erection of the viaduct and the formation of its approaches, of £19 000" - a phenomenal sum at that date. The bridge over the cut (formerly known as ‘The Jingler’s Bridge’ from a lady called ‘The Lurgan Jingler’ who kept an apple stall there) was rebuilt in 1885 and in 1892 renamed 'Downshire Bridge' to mark the coming of age of the 6th Marquess of Downshire.
The Cut and the bridge over the Bann were amongst the first works of the famous Irish road and rail engineer William Dargan, who was born in Banbridge’s twin town of Carlow.
'The Cut' and its surrounding approaches provide a feature that makes Banbridge like no other town in Ireland.
Is this the first, full, still working, flyover in the world? Probably.
Негізгі бет FIRST FLYOVER in the world? The famous Banbridge CUT
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