Shaw's Bridge
Shaw's Bridge is the name given to two adjacent bridges across the River Lagan in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The older of the bridges is a historic stone arched bridge, which is open to cyclists and pedestrians. The new bridge is a concrete bridge which carries the A55 road.
Old bridge
The crossing is located at a shallow section of the Lagan, which had historically been used as a crossing point. The bridge is named after Captain John Shaw of Oliver Cromwell's army, who built an oak bridge here in 1655, possibly replacing one from 1617. A stone bridge was built in 1691 by Thomas Burgh, although this was destroyed by floods, leading to its replacement with the current bridge in 1709.The bridge is composed of five stone arches: four across the river and one across the adjacent footpath. Its deck is only wide enough for one lane of traffic. Despite this, it was an important connection for many years, carrying the main road from Belfast to County Down and Dublin. The construction of the A55 road rendered the bridge obsolete, and in 1977 it was pedestrianised, along with its approach roads. It now forms part of the Lagan Valley Regional Park.