Survey Data
Reg No
50060353
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Architectural, Artistic, Historical, Social, Technical
Previous Name
Victoria and Albert Bridge
Original Use
Bridge
In Use As
Bridge
Date
1855 - 1865
Coordinates
314328, 234292
Date Recorded
01/09/2014
Date Updated
--/--/--
Description
Single-span cast-iron road bridge spanning River Liffey, erected 1858-61. Cast-iron structure comprising seven I-section beams with cross-bracing between, pierced spandrels and parapets. Cast lettering incorporated on west elevation:'Robert Daglish Junr St Helens Foundry Lancashire 1858'. Wrought-iron decking. Ashlar granite abutments with cornice and panelled piers having shallow in-stepped pyramidal caps. Eastern end includes bronze Catholic Emancipation centenary commemorative plaque: 'Saoirse Chreidimh 1829-1929', set in cast concrete pier.
Appraisal
A fine mid-nineteenth-century single-span cast-iron bridge, erected to designs by George Halpin to provide an improved vehicular link over the Liffey between Victoria Quay and Usher’s Quay in the south to Wolfe Tone Quay and Sarsfield Quay in the north. Technically, it displays the innovative qualities of cast iron as a material capable of connecting both sides of the river in a single span. Along with a number of other bridges over the Liffey, it remains a prominent and functional city landmark, contributing to the architectural and transport heritage of Dublin, and representative of the growth and expansion of the Victorian city.