Full Report for Listed Buildings
The list description is not intended to be a complete inventory of what is listed: it is principally intended to aid identification. By law, the definition of a listed building includes the entire building (i) and any structure or object that is fixed to the said building and ancillary to it and (ii) any other structure or object that forms part of the land and has done so since before 1 July 1948, and was within the curtilage of the building, and ancillary to it, on the date on which said building was first included in the list, or on 1 January 1969, whichever was later.
Summary Description
Reference Number
1860
Building Number
Grade
II
Status
Designated
Date of Designation
25/05/1962
Date of Amendment
21/10/2004
Name of Property
Blaen y Cwm Viaduct
Address
Location
Unitary Authority
Blaenau Gwent
Community
Tredegar
Town
Locality
Nant-y-bwch
Easting
313288
Northing
210925
Street Side
Location
Nant-y-bwch is situated along the A465 (Heads of the Valleys road), 0.5 km N of Tredegar. Railway viaduct is prominently visible from the road, NE of the Tredegar roundabout and is reached via a footpath across a field.
Description
Broad Class
Transport
Period
History
Built 1864 to the design of John Gardner, engineer to the Merthyr, Tredegar and Abergavenny Railway Company, which was set up in 1859. The company consisted largely of ironmasters, including Crawshay Bailey of Nantyglo (chairman), Thomas Brown (Ebbw Vale), and James Hill of Blaenavon. The Company became overdrawn by mid 1861, due to the high cost of crossing mountainous territory. The London and North Western Railway took a 1000 year lease of the Company with generous terms, confirmed by Act of Parliament in August 1862, by which time the line was operating from Abergavenny to Brynmawr. The old company was finally absorbed by the LNWR in 1866, and over less than 18 years, proceeded to build the railway, which crossed 25 miles (42.25 kilometres) of mountainous country. The railway finally closed in 1958.
Exterior
Impressive viaduct constructed of rock-faced limestone, spanning broad valley. Nine round-headed arches of brick. Rock-faced copings: the brick parapets have been removed.
Interior
Reason for designation
Listed as a major survival of later C19 railway engineering, the railway being central to the iron and coal industry of the eastern valleys of Wales.
Cadw : Full Report for Listed Buildings [ Records 1 of 1 ]
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