Survey Data
Reg No
50080522
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Architectural, Artistic, Historical, Social, Technical
Previous Name
Queen's Bridge
Original Use
Bridge
In Use As
Bridge
Date
1760 - 1770
Coordinates
314571, 234262
Date Recorded
28/10/2013
Date Updated
--/--/--
Description
Triple-arch bridge, built c.1765, carrying road over River Liffey. Round-headed arches with stepped vermiculated voussoirs and keystones. Coursed granite to soffits. Carved granite string course having mutules. Cut granite to spandrels. Projecting piers between arches having round-headed niches over V-cutwaters. Balustrade to parapets comprising sections of cast-iron balusters alternated with panelled granite piers having carved granite rail above, added in 1818. Cast-iron plaques to central piers to interior of parapet. Benchmark to interior of east parapet.
Appraisal
A fine mid-eighteenth-century three-span granite bridge, spanning from Usher's Quay and Usher's Island in the south to Ellis Quay and Arran Quay in the north. The bridge was erected by celebrated military engineer Charles Valency, replacing an earlier seventeenth-century stone bridge which had been swept away. Formerly named Queen’s Bridge in honour of Charlotte of Mecklenberg, Queen Consort to George III, this is the oldest remaining of several fine bridges along the Liffey. It was renamed in 1942 in honour of IRA Lieutenant-General Liam Mellows, who was executed during the Civil War. It is architecturally distinguished by elegant classical detailing, and that it remains in use today attests to the technical skill of the engineers and artisans responsible for its construction. It remains a prominent and functional city landmark, contributing to the architectural and transport heritage of Dublin, representative of the growth and expansion of the Georgian city. The plaques to the interior of the parapets provide contextual and cultural interest, reflecting the continued resonance of the Irish struggle for independence, while the use of Celtic script adds artistic and historical interest.