Melin-y-Coed Bridge and adjoining revetment walls to E and W.

Cadw's description

Location

Spanning the Nant-y-Golon in the centre of the Melin-y-Coed hamlet; carrying the unclassified road running SE from Llanrwst towards Nebo.

History

Early C19 road bridge with adjoining coped walls, probably contemporary with a further bridge to the E, dated 1822; significantly, the neighbouring Bethel chapel, N of the bridge, was also founded in that year.

Exterior

Single-span road bridge with attendant revetment walls to E and W. Rubble construction with slate-slab coping to parapet walls. The bridge has an irregular rubble platform visible on the upstream N side. Segmental arch with rough-dressed, recessed voussoirs beneath archring. Humped carriageway, the whole some 10m across; splayed approaches to the N end joining onto modern rubble walls on both upstream and downstream sides. On the S side, the downstream parapet wall curves around to continue westwards for a further 15m as a revetment wall between the road and the river. On the Upstream side, the wall similarly curves around to continue eastwards as a long revettment wall for approximately 60m at a height of 80cms; there is a squinch formed in the angle between the wall and the bridge's parapet. The wall terminates at its eastern end in an upward slope where it adjoins a second, contemporary bridge.

Reason for designation

Included for its special historic interest as an early C19 vernacular bridge and for group value with the other attached bridge.