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Llandeilo Bridge (
The earlier bridge had been criticised as not even wide enough for a horse and cart, therefore the new bridge was wide enough for a double carriageway. A single arch spanned 143 ft (43m) across the river, rising 35 ft (10.5m) above it (at the time it was the third longest single arch in Britain). The height of the bridge essentially reduced the gradient of the road towards the town. The bridge, arch soffits, parapets and buttresses are faced with chisel- or hammer-dressed masonry, while the
Llandeilio Bridge - its history
{{coord, 51.8796, -3.9953, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Bridges completed in 1848 Bridges in Carmarthenshire Llandeilo Concrete bridges in the United Kingdom Grade II* listed bridges in Wales Grade II* listed buildings in Carmarthenshire Road bridges in Wales Bridges over the River Towy
Llandeilo Bridge (Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
: ''Pont Llandeilo'') is a Grade II* listed road bridge crossing the River Towy
The River Towy ( cy, Afon Tywi, ) is one of the longest rivers flowing entirely within Wales. Its total length is . It is noted for its sea trout and salmon fishing.
Route
The Towy rises within of the source of the River Teifi on the lower sl ...
in Llandeilo
Llandeilo () is a town and community in Carmarthenshire, Wales, situated at the crossing of the River Towy by the A483 on a 19th-century stone bridge. Its population was 1,795 at the 2011 Census. It is adjacent to the westernmost point of the B ...
, 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 ...
, Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
. It carries the main A483 road
The A483, officially described as the Swansea to Manchester Trunk Road, although now ending in Chester, is a major road in the United Kingdom. It runs from Swansea in Wales to Chester in England via Llandovery, Llandrindod Wells, Oswestry an ...
towards Ffairfach
Ffairfach is a village south of the market town of Llandeilo in the eastern part of Carmarthenshire, Wales. It is located close to the confluence of the Afon Cennen and the River Towy. Population is 516 according to 2017 census.
Etymology
The ...
.
History and description
The single-arch bridge was designed by Llandeilo's William Williams, the county bridge surveyor, and built between 1843 and 1848. It replaced a previous three-arched bridge over the river than had, in turn, replaced the medieval seven-arch bridge which had collapsed in 1795. The construction logistics defeated Williams' builder, Morgan Morgan, who was sacked after the entire budget of £6000 was spent building the difficultfoundations
Foundation may refer to:
* Foundation (nonprofit), a type of charitable organization
** Foundation (United States law), a type of charitable organization in the U.S.
** Private foundation, a charitable organization that, while serving a good cause ...
. Williams died before the bridge was completed and, in 1846, Edward Haycock took over the project. It eventually cost a massive £23,000.
The earlier bridge had been criticised as not even wide enough for a horse and cart, therefore the new bridge was wide enough for a double carriageway. A single arch spanned 143 ft (43m) across the river, rising 35 ft (10.5m) above it (at the time it was the third longest single arch in Britain). The height of the bridge essentially reduced the gradient of the road towards the town. The bridge, arch soffits, parapets and buttresses are faced with chisel- or hammer-dressed masonry, while the voussoir
A voussoir () is a wedge-shaped element, typically a stone, which is used in building an arch or vault.
Although each unit in an arch or vault is a voussoir, two units are of distinct functional importance: the keystone and the springer. The ...
s of the arch are lengthy and finished with ashlar
Ashlar () is finely dressed (cut, worked) stone, either an individual stone that has been worked until squared, or a structure built from such stones. Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, generally rectangular cuboid, mentioned by Vitruv ...
. Large stone buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall. Buttresses are fairly common on more ancient buildings, as a means of providing support to act against the lateral (s ...
es marked each end of the arch, and similar buttresses continued in either direction from the bridge supporting the long causeways towards Llandeilo and Ffairfach.
The bridge became Grade II*
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
listed in 1966.
See also
*List of bridges in Wales
This list of bridges in Wales lists bridges of particular historical, scenic, architectural or engineering interest in Wales. Road and railway bridges, viaducts, aqueducts and footbridges are included.
List
Bridges are listed under the names us ...
References
External links
Llandeilio Bridge - its history
{{coord, 51.8796, -3.9953, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Bridges completed in 1848 Bridges in Carmarthenshire Llandeilo Concrete bridges in the United Kingdom Grade II* listed bridges in Wales Grade II* listed buildings in Carmarthenshire Road bridges in Wales Bridges over the River Towy