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
80709
Building Number
Grade
II*
Status
Designated
Date of Designation
05/12/2002
Date of Amendment
28/11/2003
Name of Property
White Bridge (The bascule railway bridge)
Address
Location
Unitary Authority
Carmarthenshire
Community
Carmarthen
Town
Locality
Rhydygors
Easting
240514
Northing
219246
Street Side
Location
Railway bridge over Towy river and accessed via footpath in field behind Queen Elizabeth Maridunum School.
Description
Broad Class
Transport
Period
History
Railway bridge over the Towy of 1908-11 replacing an opening timber bridge by Brunel of 1852-3 for the S Wales Railway, then no longer considered strong enough for the weight of modern rolling stock and locomotives. The replacement was built as a rolling bascule bridge by the Great Western Railway. In 1933 it was said that the bridge was an early design by the noted engineer Ralph Freeman. The contractor was the Cleveland Bridge and Engineering Co of Darlington. The opening mechanism has been derelict for many years.
Exterior
Railway bridge of 5 fixed spans and one roller lift span. Fourteen iron cylinders (weighted with concrete) braced by lattic girders and ornamented with cast-iron moulded capitals carry the steel superstructure of cross-girders and rail-bearers carried on bearing girders. Parapet of solid panels surmounted by lattice-work. Three-sided cast-iron pilasters articulate the bays of each span. Brick abutments, and as sub-structure of lifting mechanism.
The lifting span (westernmost) is a balanced cantilever carried on steel-plate bearing girders supported on 2 sets of cylinders. Lattice girders to span, curving down to the line of parapet of main bridge. Steel-plate cross girders and rail bearers, the cross girders alternately projecting to support outriggers of main girders. The moving span was operated by gearing carried on trestles on cantilevers either side of the bridge: a curved rack is fixed to the outer face of the main girders, driven by pinions themselves driven by wheels. These details survive, though the small power house which housed the electric motor on the S side of the bridge is now derelict.
Interior
Reason for designation
Included at II* as a rare surviving example of a bascule bridge, an unusual engineering structure with strong architectural character.
Cadw : Full Report for Listed Buildings [ Records 1 of 1 ]
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