It was built in the late 1800s. The small building that housed the balance arm of the weighbridge came from Donaghadee, County Down. The weighing machinery was made in about 1900 and came from a mill in East Belfast. It was dismantled and moved to the Folk Museum in the 1980s.
Weighbridges were a common feature in Irish towns in the early 1900s. At that time goods were frequently bought by the cartload. The weight of the goods was measured by the public weighbridge.
To make sure that nobody was cheated the weighing equipment was regularly checked by the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC).
Other examples of weighbridges can be seen in the Museum at Kelly’s Coal Yard and the Straid Corn Mill.
As goods were increasingly shipped in pre-paid amounts the need for public weighbridges declined. Many that were no longer needed were sold as scrap.
Compare this weighbridge to the one in Kelly’s Coal Yard.