North portal and wings of the Rock-fawr Bridge on Sir Robert Price's private tramway.

Cadw's description

Location

The portal forms the N face of the Rock-fawr service bridge on the well preserved 150m long section of tramway running parallel to and adjacent to the A4063 S of Cildeudy Road.

History

Sir Robert Price, landowner, MP for Herefordshire, entrepreneur and owner of both Bettws drift mine and the Tondu Iron and brick works, built a private tramway between 1837 and 1847 to transport coals after his disagreement with his fellow directors of the Duffryn Llynvi and Porthcawl Railway over the level of tolls charged. The line closely follows the roadway at a lower level, and includes a parallel leet conducting water from the Afon Llynfi near Shwt to the ironworks.

Exterior

The tramway bed is terraced into the hillside, somewhat above the present A4063 road to Maesteg, with the leet running on the upper side of the formation. The bridge under the driveway to Rock-fawr consists of an ashlar voussoired semi-circular arch in the retaining wall, now blocked, with an emphasised keystone, and a similar but smaller arch for the leet on the right, the crown of which has been altered in brick probably when the skew driveway was widened and carried over the angle on an iron plate. The bridge/tunnel is approximately 9m long, partially blocked at its S end.

Reason for designation

Included as an important feature on this well preserved section of this former private line, evocative of the early industrial development of the valley.