Full Report for Listed Buildings


Summary Description of a Listed Buildings


Reference Number
3236
Building Number
 
Grade
I  
Status
Designated  
Date of Designation
23/09/1950  
Date of Amendment
05/05/2006  
Name of Property
Tubular Railway Bridge  
Address
 

Location


Unitary Authority
Conwy  
Community
Conwy  
Town
Conwy  
Locality
Afon Conwy  
Easting
278499  
Northing
377467  
Street Side
 
Location
Spanning Afon Conwy on the E side of the castle and S of the modern road and suspension bridges.  

Description


Broad Class
Transport  
Period
 

History
On the Chester-Holyhead Railway, built 1846-49 by Robert Stephenson, in collaboration with William Fairbairn and E. Hodgkinson. The architect was Francis Thompson, the contractor William Evans. It was originally intended to be a suspension bridge. The bridge, like Stephenson's contemporary Britannia Bridge spanning the Menai Strait, pioneered wrought-iron box-girder construction. Intermediate piers were added in 1899.  

Exterior
A tubular railway bridge between ashlar rectangular castellated towers (originally intended for carrying the chains of a suspension bridge), with blind arrow loops, and an embattled parapet on corbelled machicolations. Lower round turrets to the outer corners have a Lombard frieze to the parapet, and smaller corbelled round turrets to the inner corners have a Lombard frieze to conical caps. The outer sides have a pair of round-headed arches with continuous chamfer. On the inner sides are vents with latticework iron grilles above the girders. The deck is double-track, each track having its own tubular girder construction, and incorporating a travelling crane. Set back from each end are 2 round concrete-filled cast-iron piers added in 1899. The approach on the E side has a rock-faced coped wall to a polygonal terminal pier. Beyond, the NE side has a later plainer wall.  

Interior
 

Reason for designation
Listed grade I as a major work of C19 civil engineering of national importance. Scheduled Ancient Monument CN167  

Cadw : Full Report for Listed Buildings [ Records 1 of 1 ]





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