Bridge over channel N of Severn Lodge

Cadw's description

Location

Located approximately 1.1km NW of Leighton church on N side of B4381 and R bank of River Severn.

History

Later C19 and part of the former Leighton Estate. The channel was cut in order to divert water from the River Severn which was pumped, probably by means of a hydraulic ram, up to the reservoirs on the hillside E of Leighton. John Naylor, a Liverpool banker, had acquired the Leighton Estate in 1846-47 and embarked on an ambitious programme of building, notably Leighton Hall, church and Leighton Farm, all designed by Gee and mostly complete by the mid 1850s. Naylor continued to extend and improve the Estate until his death in 1889, while Naylor’s grandson, Captain J.M. Naylor, sold Leighton Hall and the Estate in 1931. The bridge was associated with Naylor's introduction of new technology at Leighton, specifically his pioneering efforts to recycle manure as fertiliser using pumps and slurry tanks across a large tract of land.

Exterior

Single-span bridge and associated walls over an artificial channel where water was diverted from the River Severn. Hammer-dressed stone with keyed segmental arch. Flat deck with low parapet. On SE side is a return wall which has a small culvert opening and a recessed bay in the bank of the B4381.

Reason for designation

The Leighton Estate is an exceptional example of high-Victorian estate development. It is remarkable for the scale and ambition of its conception and planning, the consistency of its design, the extent of its survival, and is the most complete example of its type in Wales. The bridge is an important element of this whole ensemble at Leighton, representing the pioneering use of new technology, while its relationship to other features on the Estate such as the Slurry Tank on Moel y Mab demonstrates the scale of civil engineering undertaken at Leighton.