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
5488
Building Number
Grade
II
Status
Designated
Date of Designation
30/01/1968
Date of Amendment
20/04/1998
Name of Property
Britannia Tubular Bridge (part in Treborth Community)
Address
Location
Unitary Authority
Isle of Anglesey
Community
Llanfair Pwllgwyngyll
Town
Locality
Britannia Bridge
Easting
254067
Northing
371112
Street Side
N
Location
Spanning the Menai Strait, W of the Menai Suspension Bridge.
Description
Broad Class
Transport
Period
History
Originally built as a railway bridge for the Chester and Holyhead Railway, and designed by the renowned engineer-in-chief to the railway, Robert Stephenson, in association with Francis Thompson, the railway's architect, and Sir William Fairbairn as consultant engineer. The bridge made novel use of a continuous tubular construction of iron plates, forming twin tubes, set at the centre span 102ft ( 31m ) above the high water line, each pair spanning 140m (459ft 3in) between the intermediate water piers, the stonework built by Nowell Hemingway and Pearson, and the whole scheme cost £674,000. Each of the two pairs of tubes carrying the plateway, was 30ft high and 14ft 8in wide (9.1 x 4.45m), fixed at the centre with rolling expansion joints in the Anglesey and Caernarvon Towers. It was opened at a fine ceremony in 1850. The C & H Railway was amalgamated with the London and North Western Railway in 1858. After a serious fire on 23/5/1970, the bridge was extensively modified and strengthened to provide a road carriageway above and in addition to the rail track, designed by Husband & Co. for British Railways, using The Cleveland Bridge & Engineering Co. Ltd. as contractors.
Exterior
The bridge piers are of rock-faced Anglesey limestone (Penmon Marble), set on a plinth, and Runcorn sandstone and brickwork. Each of the 2 central water piers is 221ft 3in (67.5m) high from foundation on the sea bedrock, and rise with battered sides to a corniced top raised on large corner blocks forming voids, originally designed to take suspension chains over rockers, on each face, all in an Egyptian Pylon style. The piers are voided, and stone lintels 20ft (6m)long span the rectangular holes for the twin tubes, with bold plat bands at the level of the top and bottom of the tubes. Each side face carries a symbolic engineering motif based on linked driving rods. The outer spans spring to similar abutment towers, flanked by sculptured lions on high plinths (q.v.). A huge figure of Britannia designed by Thompson for the centre pier was never executed. Inscribed on the approach face to the mainland water pier 'Erected Anno Domini MDCCCL Robert Stephenson Engineer'. The modified bridge, opened on 11/6/1980, consists of braced rivetted steel section arches with 'N'-truss spandrels spanning between the earlier piers, with the roadway carried on stanchions above the railway. The side spans are in reinforced concrete.
Interior
Reason for designation
Included as one of the most audacious and exciting monuments of the great age of engineering where Britain was at the forefront of such innovatory developments. Included at Grade II, notwithstanding that the original design has been vitiated as a result of the fire.
Cadw : Full Report for Listed Buildings [ Records 1 of 1 ]
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