Farmleigh Bridge Explained

Bridge Name:Farmleigh Bridge
Native Name:Droichead Farmleigh
Native Name Lang:Irish
Crosses:River Liffey
Locale:Dublin, Ireland
Preceded:West-Link
Followed:Anna Livia Bridge
Design:Box truss
Open:1870s
Coordinates:53.3613°N -6.3652°W

The Farmleigh Bridge (Irish: Droichead Farmleigh), also known as the Silver Bridge, Guinness Bridge or Strawberry Beds Bridge, is a disused bridge spanning the River Liffey and the Lower Lucan Road in the Strawberry Beds, Dublin, Ireland.

Form

Farmleigh Bridge is a single-span cast iron box truss bridge.[1] It is about 52-1NaN-1 long and is supported by two stone and masonry supports faced with cut limestone blocks, and embellished with buttresses and round-headed arches.

History

In an 1836 Ordnance Survey map of the Strawberry Beds area, two ferries are depicted as operating on the Liffey. One was situated at the bottom of Knockmaroon Hill and the other was a half-mile upstream where the current Farmleigh Bridge now stands. It is suspected that the ferry at this site was a private operation for the Guinness family as they owned land on the south bank of the river. It is understood the iron bridge eventually replaced the ferry and was probably built by the engineering department of the Guinness Brewery. It was built in the 1870s to carry water pipes and electricity lines from the mill race turbine to the nearby Farmleigh House and the clock tower (which housed a large water tank), by Edward Cecil Guinness who had bought the estate in 1872. There were ornate gates at either end of the bridge and a tunnel entrance where it ended abruptly on the side of a hill. The pipes and cables were covered by a deck for pedestrian use.[2] Privately built by the Guinness family, it was also used by staff who lived on the south side of the river (by Palmerstown) as a short-cut to the grand house.[3]

Status and conservation

The bridge (near the Angler's Rest pub) is long disused, with no remaining base or platform to carry traffic. Though the elaborate stone gateway remains,[4] the tunnel is no longer accessible and has been collapsed.[2]

As of late 2015, campaigners had initiated a petition for the bridge to be restored and used as part of a Liffey greenway plan.[5] However, as of mid-2016, no funding had been allocated by Fingal County Council to renovation of the bridge.[6] In 2021 it was featured in the RTÉ One television series .[7]

In 2022, Fingal County Council allocated €1.5 million for works to conserve, but not reopen, the bridge.[8]

Sources

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Lower Road, Fingal - Bridge . National Inventory of Architectural Heritage . 3 December 2016.
  2. Web site: Farmleigh Bridge . Dublin City Council . Bridges of Dublin . 3 December 2016.
  3. Web site: Farmleigh House Tour (including description of bridge) . Office of Public Works . https://web.archive.org/web/20090621082440/http://www.farmleigh.ie/takethetour/clocktower . 21 June 2009 . dead .
  4. Web site: Archiseek entry. With pictures . Archiseek Architectural Database . https://web.archive.org/web/20080724163700/http://www.irish-architecture.com/buildings_ireland/dublin/chapelizod/strawberry_beds/strawberrybeds_bridge.html . 24 July 2008.
  5. Web site: Call for Guinness Bridge Over Liffey to be Reopened as Part of Greenway . IrishCycle.com . Cian . Ginty . 30 September 2016 . 13 February 2022 .
  6. Web site: Hopes for Rise Again of River Park . Dublin Inquirer . 21 June 2016 . "Until pedestrian safety issues are resolved [...] it is not safe to open up the bridge for access. No capital funding has been identified for the repair of the bridge".
  7. Web site: Droichid na hÉireann. 2022-01-11. RTÉ Player. en.
  8. Web site: Strawberry Beds bridge conservation to begin in weeks . Irish Times . irishtimes.com . 28 December 2022 . 19 June 2023 .