Difference between revisions of "Crossings of the River Wye"

Latest revision as of 15:36, 30 October 2019

The Wye Bridge at Hereford

The crossings of the River Wye include footbridges, road bridges, rail bridges, viaducts, ferries and a tunnel, found in their variety along the whole length of the river, 133 miles from its source to the River Severn.

There are some 15 Grade II listed bridges, just 1 Grade II* listed bridge and 3 Grade I listed bridges.

The Wye Bridge at Chepstow

Crossings

In order, moving downstream:

Crossing	Location / co-ords	Built	Heritage status	Locality	Notes	Refs	Image
Y Drum Bridge	52°27’4"N, 3°43’37"W	1965		Pont Rhydgaled	The first bridge over the Wye, 2 miles below it's source. A steel beam structure with a wooden deck, 33 feet long with two cylindrical columns mid-span.	[1]
Pont Cefn-Brwyn	52°26’25"N, 3°43’22"W	about 1910		Pont Rhygaled	Built to serve the lead mines in Nant Iago. The bridge was strengthened in 1975 to allow road vehicles from the Institue of Hydrology to reach a weir upstream of the bridge.	[1]
Pont Rhydgaled	52°25’48"N, 3°42’24"W	1800[1]		Pont Rhydgaled	Carries A44 over river just above its confluence with the Afon Tarrenig. Close to Sweeter Still rally stage.
Nanty	52°25’26"N, 3°41’12"W	1992			A 3-span wooden footbridge built to replace an earlier structure. The Nanty Lead Mine was located here, but closed in 1867 - the bridge is also known as the Nanty Mine Bridge.	[1]
Footbridge		1992		The Wye Valley Walk footbridge
Waun Capel Parc footbridge	52°18’5"N, 3°30’54"W	1965	-	Rhayader	A single-span made of three continuous truss girders of welded steel, built by the Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers.	[1]
Rhayader road bridge				Carries the B4518 road.
Glyn Bridge
Llanwrthwl Bridge
Yr Allt Farm bridge				Farm access
Newbridge-on-Wye Bridge
Brynwern Bridge
Builth Road Railway Bridge				Near Builth Road railway station.	Located on the Heart of Wales Line.
Wye Bridge, Builth Wells			c !II	Builth Wells
Erwood Bridge				Erwood	Carries the B4594 road.
Lady Milford's Bridge			-	Llanstephan
Boughrood Bridge			c !II
Glasbury Bridge
Hay Bridge					Crossed over the river from Radnorshire to Brecknockshire as well as the currently closed Hereford, Hay and Brecon Railway. It is near the former Hay-on-Wye station which is on the southern side, in Herefordshire.
Whitney-on-Wye Railway Bridge					Demolished on the former Hereford, Hay and Brecon Railway which is currently closed.
Whitney-on-Wye toll bridge			c !II
Bredwardine Bridge			c !II
Bridge Sollers Bridge					This bridge replaced one dating from 1896, it was opened in 2004.
Hunderton Bridge			-	Hereford	On the former Goods Line, part of the original Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway
Greyfriars bridge (A49 road)
Wye Bridge, Hereford			a !I		Late C15, widened 1826. Ashlar sandstone. 6 arches, 1 rebuilt C17; V-shaped cutwaters with refuges over; bands; chamfered ashlar coping.
Victoria Bridge			c !II		Footbridge over River Wye. c1897. Built by Findlay of Motherwell. Concrete piers with ashlar cutwaters; semi-suspension central span; lattice-work towers and parapets; terracotta piers with cast-iron lamp columns. Erected by public subscription to mark Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria.
Greenway Bridge			-	Rotherwas, Hereford	Bridge links the Bartonsham and Rotherwas areas of Hereford.
Eign Bridge			-	Rotherwas, Hereford	Built as part of the Hereford, Ross and Gloucester Railway which line is largely closed apart from the section here which is part of the Welsh Marches Line.
Holme Lacy Bridge			-
Ballingham Railway Bridge	51°58’21"N, 2°37’39"W	1855-1859		Ballingham	Carried the closed Hereford, Ross and Gloucester Railway over the river, the bridge decking is demolished.	[1]
Hoarwithy Bridge			-
Sellack Suspension Bridge			c !II
Foy Bridge			-
Strangford Railway Bridge			-		Currently closed Hereford, Ross and Gloucester Railway line. Decking spanning the river demolished.
Backney Railway Bridge			-		Currently closed Hereford, Ross and Gloucester Railway line.
Bridstow Bridge			-		Bridstow bridge, completed in 1960, carries the A40 trunk road over the river Wye near Ross-on-Wye. It is 353 fee long and comprises two cantilever sets and a suspended span.
Wilton Bridge			a !I		An exceptionally fine stone bridge. In 1597 an Act was passed authorising its construction. It was completed within the next 2 years. 5 semicircular arches each with 3 ribs. Massive cutwaters on each side carried up and splayed back from the outer angle at parapet level forming semi-hexagonal refuges. At the point where the splay dies out is a moulded string which is mitred and carried up to the angle against the spandrils of the arches and then mitred and carried across to form a label above the arches. The voussoirs of the arches are chamfered and joggled and have various masons' marks. On upstream side the bridge has been widened but now the parapet has gone and been replaced by a wooden handrail. South East approach to bridge has been rebuilt in ashlar with 2 flights of stone steps to the river bank. The sundial, formerly in one of the refuges has gone and only the base of the pedestal remains.
Kerne Bridge			c !II		Road bridge. 1828 by B D Jones. Ashlar. Five-span bridge with large central arch flanked by graded arches each separated by triangular shaped cutwaters rising to pilaster buttresses, solid parapet.
Welsh Bicknor Railway Bridge			-		On the currently closed Ross and Monmouth Railway.
Huntsham Bridge			c !II
Hand ferry at the Ye Old Ferrie Inn			-		Symonds Yat
Hand ferry at the Saracens Head Inn			-		Symonds Yat
Biblins Bridge			-		Site of Biblins Youth Campsite
Wye Bridge, Monmouth			c !II		Built in 1617
Duke of Beaufort Bridge			c !II	Monmouth Troy	Built in 1874. It is listed (as a historic structure) simply as the Railway Bridge, Monmouth. It carried the Ross and Monmouth Railway line. Still in use as a footpath.
Monmouth Viaduct	51°48’16"N, 2°42’28"W		-	Monmouth Troy	Bridge dismantled in 1967. It carried the Coleford, Monmouth, Usk & Pontypool Railway line. Part of the currently closed Wye Valley Railway line.
Penallt Viaduct			c !II		Also known as, and listed as Redbrook Railway Bridge. Previously carried the Wye Valley Railway. Still in use as a footpath.
Bigsweir Bridge			b !II*		Carries the A466 road.
Brockweir Bridge			c !II		Designed by S.W. & A.L. Yockney of Victoria Street, Westminster. The contractors were E. Finch and Company of Chepstow.
Tintern Railway Bridge				Tintern station	Demolished on the currently closed Wye Valley Railway south of Tintern railway station.
Old Tramway Bridge			c !II		Listed as the Old Tramway Bridge (formerly Wireworks Bridge), but also known as the Tintern Footbridge. Previously carried the Tintern Wireworks Branch, now a footbridge.
Old Wye Bridge, Chepstow	52°29’19"N, 3°43’36"W		a !I	Chepstow	Carries the B4228 road.
A48 bridge	52°29’13"N, 3°43’20"W		-	Chepstow	Carries the A48 road.
Chepstow Railway Bridge	52°28’53"N, 3°42’58"W		c !II	Chepstow	Built in 1852 as part of the South Wales Railway. It also brought the currently closed Wye Valley Railway into Chepstow station. It now carries the Gloucester to Newport Line.
M48 Wye Bridge	52°28’22"N, 3°42’5"W		c !II	Tidenham and Chepstow	Built in 1966, it carries the M4 motorway between Monmouthshire and Gloucestershire.
Severn-Wye Cable Tunnel	51°36’40"N, 2°40’9"W		-	Beachley – Aust	The tunnel is 156 feet deep, with a diameter of 10 feet and a total length of 2.3 miles.[2] The tunnel carries two 400 kV circuits, each with three cables. The tunnel is owned by npower.
Aust Severn Powerline Crossing	51°36’21"N, 2°38’29"W		-		Longest powerline span in the UK at 1 mile

See also

• Crossings of the River Severn

Outside links

("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Bridges across the River Wye)

• Bridges from Chepstow to Whitney-on-Wye
• Bridges from Y Gelli/Hay-On-Wye to Cae-Gaer

References