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Latitude: 53.2802 / 53°16'48"N
Longitude: -3.8238 / 3°49'25"W
OS Eastings: 278499
OS Northings: 377467
OS Grid: SH784774
Mapcode National: GBR 1ZQH.YV
Mapcode Global: WH654.7TD5
Plus Code: 9C5R75JG+3F
Entry Name: Tubular Railway Bridge
Listing Date: 23 September 1950
Last Amended: 5 May 2006
Grade: I
Source: Cadw
Source ID: 3236
Building Class: Transport
Also known as: Pont Reilffordd Conwy
ID on this website: 300003236
Location: Spanning Afon Conwy on the E side of the castle and S of the modern road and suspension bridges.
County: Conwy
Town: Conwy
Community: Conwy
Community: Conwy
Locality: Afon Conwy
Built-Up Area: Conwy
Traditional County: Caernarfonshire
Tagged with: Railway bridge
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.
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.
Listed grade I as a major work of C19 civil engineering of national importance.
Scheduled Ancient Monument CN167
External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.
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