Former Tramroad and Railway bridge over Moor Lane

Cadw's description

Location

A short distance due N of Nottage village centre, near the junction of the village lane and Moor Lane by St David's Well.

History

A tramroad bridge of the Dyffryn Llynfi Porthcawl Railway which was authorised by Act of Parliament 1825, begun the same year and opened for horse drawn traffic 1828. Laid by John Hodgkinson of Newport, the railway provided transport for the iron and coal being produced in the Llynfi Valley. The Outer Basin, a small tidal dock at Porthcawl, was also constructed at this time, with the Breakwater added later. Journey time was 6 hours and 5 journeys in each direction were made daily. Records of 1845 show 35,000 tons (35,700 tonnes) of coal and 21,000 tons (21,420 tonnes) iron transported. In 1860s the Brogden family, who had purchased the Tondu Ironworks from Sir Robert Price and were developing coal mining in the Ogmore Valley, were the principal promoters of the Ogmore Valley Railway Company which built first a broad gauge line in 1861 amended to standard gauge in 1865 to replace the tramroad. At this time also Porthcawl dock was being substantially extended to provide a large inner basin. At Moor Lane the railway bridge was built against the west side of the tramroad bridge. The railway line was closed in 1963. Known locally as Cuckoo Bridge.

Exterior

Tramroad bridge is a skewed near semi-circular arch of dressed stone with approach abutments terminating in large quoins, left side retains coping, right has blue brick coping embossed 'Lipton'. Arch has long voussoirs dying into abutments, keystone, originally no parapet, the coping only one course above the keystone; later parapet of blue brick. Interior of bridge is rubble with holes for wooden construction framework visible on each side. The railway bridge W is in blue brick in English bond with matching skewed roof achieved through angled bricks, their ends creating a decorative 3 course arch. Some patching with concrete.

Reason for designation

Included as a rare and almost complete survival of a structure of the Dyffryn Llynfi Porthcawl Tramroad, of great importance in the history of iron and coal production in the western S Wales valleys and in the development of Porthcawl.