Cenarth Bridge ( cy, Pont Cenarth), also spelt Kenarth Bridge, is a three

arch bridge An arch bridge is a bridge with abutments at each end shaped as a curved arch. Arch bridges work by transferring the weight of the bridge and its loads partially into a horizontal thrust restrained by the abutments at either side. A viaduct ...

which spans the

River Teifi , name_etymology = , image = File:Llyn Teifi - geograph.org.uk - 41773.jpg , image_size = , image_caption = Llyn Teifi, the source of the Teifi , map = , map_size = , map_caption ...

Cenarth Cenarth () is a village, parish and community in Carmarthenshire, on the border between Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire, and close to the border with Pembrokeshire, Wales. It stands on the banks of the River Teifi, east of Cardigan and west o ...

Carmarthenshire Carmarthenshire ( cy, Sir Gaerfyrddin; or informally ') is a county in the south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. The county is known as ...

in Wales. The bridge was built between 1785 and 1787 and designed by David Edwards, the son of

William Edwards William Edwards may refer to: Arts and entertainment *William Edwards (architect) (1719–1789), Welsh architect of the Pontypridd bridge in south Wales *William Camden Edwards (1777–1855), Welsh engraver *William Augustus Edwards (1866–1939), ...

who built the Old Bridge at

Pontypridd () (colloquially: Ponty) is a town and a community in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. Geography comprises the electoral wards of , Hawthorn, Pontypridd Town, 'Rhondda', Rhydyfelin Central/Ilan ( Rhydfelen), Trallwng (Trallwn) and Treforest (). The ...

. The bridge straddles the border between Carmarthenshire and

Ceredigion Ceredigion ( , , ) is a county in the west of Wales, corresponding to the historic county of Cardiganshire. During the second half of the first millennium Ceredigion was a minor kingdom. It has been administered as a county since 1282. Cere ...

. It is both a Grade II*

listed Listed may refer to: * Listed, Bornholm, a fishing village on the Danish island of Bornholm * Listed (MMM program), a television show on MuchMoreMusic * Endangered species in biology * Listed building, in architecture, designation of a historicall ...

structure and a

scheduled monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...

History and construction

A bridge over the River Teifi at Cenarth has existed at least since 1188, when it was mentioned in the writings of

Gerald of Wales Gerald of Wales ( la, Giraldus Cambrensis; cy, Gerallt Gymro; french: Gerald de Barri; ) was a Cambro-Norman priest and English historians in the Middle Ages, historian. As a royal clerk to the king and two archbishops, he travelled widely and w ...

. The present bridge was constructed between 1785 and 1787 by Messrs Watkins and Webb. It was designed by David Edwards (born 1748), who also built the Llandeilo Yr Ynys bridge near

Nantgaredig Nantgaredig is a village in Carmarthenshire, Wales. It is about east of the county town of Carmarthen on the A40 in the parish of Llanegwad. the Population was around 524 as of the 2011 census. Notable people The village is most notable for b ...

earlier in 1786 and the later Newport Bridge. Kenarth Bridge, On The Teify, Cardiganshire

The bridge was designed to carry

horse-drawn vehicle A horse-drawn vehicle is a mechanized piece of equipment pulled by one horse or by a team of horses. These vehicles typically had two or four wheels and were used to carry passengers and/or a load. They were once common worldwide, but they have m ...

s and has three stone arches which span , and . The bridge is made of ashlar masonry and

rubble stone Rubble stone is rough, uneven building stone not laid in regular courses. It may fill the core of a wall which is faced with unit masonry such as brick or ashlar. Analogously, some medieval cathedral walls are outer shells of ashlar with an i ...

with the parapet coping in rough slate. The design includes two cylindrical holes (perforated

spandrel A spandrel is a roughly triangular space, usually found in pairs, between the top of an arch and a rectangular frame; between the tops of two adjacent arches or one of the four spaces between a circle within a square. They are frequently fill ...

s) in diameter, one either side of the central span. The holes were included in the design to reduce the weight of the structure and also to allow floodwaters to pass through them, instead of going over the top of the bridge: while the river appears to flow only under the southern arch, when in full flood the Teifi flows through all three arches. This feature was used by Edwards's father William, who used six holes in the Old Bridge at

to reduce the weight and pressure on the centre section. The accounts for the local

quarter session The courts of quarter sessions or quarter sessions were local courts traditionally held at four set times each year in the Kingdom of England from 1388 (extending also to Wales following the Laws in Wales Act 1535). They were also established in ...

s show that in 1787 David Edwards was paid £2.12s.2d ster. for half his fee. Therefore his total fee for the bridge was £5.4s.4d. In 2014, this would have been worth between £6,600 and £9,100. The bridge was widened in 1852 by

Richard Kyrke Penson Richard Kyrke Penson or R. K. Penson (19 June 1815 – 22 May 1885) was a Welsh architect and artist. Richard Kyrke Penson was a leading Gothic Revival architect. His work, covered the counties of Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire, Cardigan, De ...

to make the right-angled bend at the north end easier to negotiate. The bridge joins two counties, Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion. It forms part of the former turnpike, now the

A484 road List of A roads in zone 4 in Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European isla ...

, from

Carmarthen Carmarthen (, RP: ; cy, Caerfyrddin , "Merlin's fort" or "Sea-town fort") is the county town of Carmarthenshire and a community in Wales, lying on the River Towy. north of its estuary in Carmarthen Bay. The population was 14,185 in 2011, ...

to Cardigan. It is wide, but it has no

footpaths A footpath (also pedestrian way, walking trail, nature trail) is a type of thoroughfare that is intended for use only by pedestrians and not other forms of traffic such as motorized vehicles, bicycles and horses. They can be found in a wide v ...

. It is still being used by motor traffic in the 2010s with a

speed limit Speed limits on road traffic, as used in most countries, set the legal maximum speed at which vehicles may travel on a given stretch of road. Speed limits are generally indicated on a traffic sign reflecting the maximum permitted speed - expres ...

of . The bridge was Grade II* listed in the 1960s, with the Carmarthenshire southern end listed on 21 September 1964 and the Ceredigion northern end listed later on 23 June 1967. The bridge is also a Scheduled Ancient Monument.

Notes

External links

{{commons category, Cenarth Bridge
Royal Commission: images and records
Stone bridges in the United Kingdom Bridges in Carmarthenshire Bridges in Ceredigion Bridges completed in 1787 Grade II* listed bridges in Wales Road bridges in Wales Scheduled monuments in Wales

History and construction

See also

Notes

External links