Farmleigh Bridge Droichead Farmleigh | |
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Coordinates | 53°21′41″N6°21′55″W / 53.3613°N 6.3652°W Coordinates: 53°21′41″N6°21′55″W / 53.3613°N 6.3652°W |
Crosses | River Liffey |
Locale | Dublin, Ireland |
Characteristics | |
Design | Box truss |
History | |
Opened | 1870s |
Location | |
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The Farmleigh Bridge (Irish : Droichead Farmleigh), also known as the Silver Bridge, Guinness Bridge or Strawberry Beds Bridge, [1] is a disused bridge spanning the River Liffey and the Lower Lucan Road in the Strawberry Beds, Dublin, Ireland.
Farmleigh Bridge is a single-span cast iron box truss bridge. [1] [2] It is about 52 m (170 ft) long and is supported by two stone and masonry supports faced with cut limestone blocks, and embellished with buttresses and round-headed arches.
In an 1836 Ordnance Survey map of the Strawberry Beds area, two ferries are depicted as operating on the Liffey. [3] 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. [3] 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 in the side of a hill. The pipes and cables were covered by a deck for pedestrian use. [4] 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. [5]
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, [6] the tunnel is no longer accessible and has been collapsed. [4]
As of late 2015, campaigners had initiated a petition for the bridge to be restored and used as part of a Liffey greenway plan. [7] However, as of mid-2016, no funding had been allocated by Fingal County Council to renovation of the bridge. [8]
In 2021 it was featured in the RTÉ One television series Droichid na hÉireann. [9]
The River Liffey is a river in eastern Ireland that ultimately flows through the centre of Dublin to its mouth within Dublin Bay. Its major tributaries include the River Dodder, the River Poddle and the River Camac. The river supplies much of Dublin's water and supports a range of recreational activities.
The Northside is the part of Dublin city that lies to the north of the River Liffey. It is an informal but commonly used term. While it is sometimes regarded as less wealthy than the city's Southside, the Northside was originally the home of the city's upper classes and the more privileged of the two. Today, some of the wealthiest areas in Ireland lie north of the river, such as Malahide, Howth, Clontarf, and Castleknock.
The Tom Clarke Bridge, formerly and commonly known as the East-Link Toll Bridge, is a toll bridge in Dublin, Ireland, on the River Liffey, owned and operated by Dublin City Council. The bascule-type lifting bridge, which links North Wall to Ringsend, is the last bridge on the Liffey, which opens out into Dublin Port and then Dublin Bay just beyond. The bridge forms part of the R131 regional road.
The Ha'penny Bridge, known later for a time as the Penny Ha'penny Bridge, and officially the Liffey Bridge, is a pedestrian bridge built in May 1816 over the River Liffey in Dublin, Ireland. Made of cast iron, the bridge was cast in Shropshire, England.
Farmleigh is the official Irish state guest house. It was formerly one of the Dublin residences of the Guinness family. It is situated on an elevated position above the River Liffey to the north-west of the Phoenix Park, in Castleknock. The estate of 78 acres (32 ha) consists of extensive private gardens with stands of mature cypress, pine and oak trees, a boating pond, walled garden, sunken garden, out offices and a herd of rare native Kerry cattle. It was purchased by the Government of Ireland from the 4th Earl of Iveagh in 1999 for €29.2 million. A state body—the Office of Public Works (OPW)—spent in the region of €23 million restoring the house, gardens and curvilinear glasshouses, bringing the total cost to the state to €52.2 million. Farmleigh was opened to the public in July 2001.
The West-Link is a toll bridge on the M50 motorway to the west of Dublin, Ireland, operated by Emovis for Transport Infrastructure Ireland.
O'Connell Bridge is a road bridge spanning the River Liffey in Dublin, Ireland, which joins O'Connell Street to D'Olier Street, Westmoreland Street and the south quays.
The Loopline Bridge is a railway bridge spanning the River Liffey and several streets in Dublin, Ireland. It joins rail services from south of Dublin to Connolly Station and lines north.
Seán O'Casey Bridge is a pedestrian swingbridge spanning the River Liffey in Dublin, Ireland, joining City Quay in the Grand Canal Docks area to North Wall Quay and the IFSC.
Mellows Bridge is a road bridge spanning the River Liffey, in Dublin, Ireland and joining Queen Street and Arran Quay to the south quays.
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Lucan Bridge is a road bridge spanning the River Liffey in Lucan, County Dublin, Ireland. It joins Lucan's Main Street to the Lower Lucan Road, carrying traffic towards Clonsilla and the north, and the Strawberry Beds to the east. Designed by George Knowles, it was built in 1814. Constructed in collaboration with James Savage at a cost of more than £9,000, it replaced several previous bridges which had been carried away by floods.
The Anna Livia Bridge, formerly Chapelizod Bridge, is a road bridge spanning the River Liffey in Chapelizod, Dublin, Ireland which joins the Lucan Road to Chapelizod Road.
The Liffey Railway Bridge is a rail bridge spanning the River Liffey near Heuston railway station in Dublin in Ireland.
The Broadmeadow viaduct is a rail bridge carrying the main Dublin to Belfast railway across the estuary of the Broadmeadow River, about 13 kilometres north of Dublin, Ireland. Just north of Malahide village, it is approximately 180 metres (600 feet) long and is a section of a longer crossing constructed as an embankment. The viaduct carries around ninety trains, including commuter services and heavy freight, per day and it is the sole rail route between Dublin and Belfast. It has had a history of problems with its foundations being scoured out by strong currents.
Rory O'More Bridge is a road bridge spanning the River Liffey in Dublin, Ireland and joining Watling Street to Ellis Street and the north quays.
Strawberry Beds or The Strawberry Beds is a locality and small settlement 7 km to the west of Dublin City, Ireland, located on the northern banks of the River Liffey between Chapelizod and Lucan. The R109 road, also known as the 'Lower Road' for the section between the two aforementioned towns, is the only road that passes through the Strawberry Beds. The area is protected by a Special Amenity Area Order (SAAO).
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
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