Full Report for Listed Buildings
Summary Description of a Listed Buildings
Date of Designation
25/02/2000
Date of Amendment
25/02/2000
Name of Property
Aberdulais Viaduct (partly in Blaenrhonddan community)
Unitary Authority
Neath Port Talbot
Location
Spanning the River Neath S of the Aberdulais Aqueduct and N of Dulais Fach Road.
History
The Vale of Neath Railway was incorporated in 1846 and opened in 1851. Engineered by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the line was built to a broad gauge. The Aberdulais viaduct, like many others designed by Brunel, was originally constructed of timber with stone abutments, with the intention of rebuilding in stone at a later date. In the event the bridge was not rebuilt in stone until the late C19, after it was absorbed into the GWR in 1861.
Exterior
A 5-bay viaduct, of which 4 bays span the River Neath, and a 5th bay on the W side spans Station Road. The abutments, belonging to the original bridge opened in 1851, are of coursed, hammer-dressed sandstone, while the later arches and parapet are of snecked, rock-faced stone with blue-brick arches. The piers have V-shaped cutwaters with pyramidal caps. Beneath the parapet is a thick projecting blue-brick band. The flat coping is of large bricks. The abutments are battered (with a concave profile beneath the deck) and are splayed outwards to retain an embankment. The deck carries a single track.
Reason for designation
Listed for its industrial archaeological interest as a railway bridge designed in 2 phases, the original wooden structure having been replaced by the present stone bridge but incorporating the original abutments. Group value with Aberdulais Aqueduct.
Cadw : Full Report for Listed Buildings [ Records 1 of 1 ]