Bridge over Incline Plane Tondu

Cadw's description

Location

Just within the SW boundary of the community, W of Maesteg Road and the railway, just N of Tondu Methodist church.

History

The northernmost of the 3 bridges over the Incline Plane which was was built c.1854 originally to connect the proposed broad gauge Llynfi Valley railway to the earlier Dyffryn Llynfi and Porthcawl Railway, which ran to rear of the ironworking site, and to the coking area. After the Llynfi Valley railway opened in 1861 it provided principal access to coking ovens and the earlier line closed. The Incline Plane comprised a single track with no passing place and was powered by steam. The bridge carried a tramroad over the Incline Plane on its way to Bridgend, bringing limestone in and iron and coke out, and functioned from 1860-75., This was the successor to Sir Robert Price's private line, the tramroad which transported materials into and out of the ironworks during their first period of operation in 1840s and ran to N. The ironworks were taken over by the Brogden family in 1855 who themselves promoted the extension of the railway network through Acts of Parliament and were responsible for this era of transport in the Tondu Ironworks.

Exterior

Bridge consists of two deep stone abutments of snecked rockfaced stone with mainly yellow brick dressings. There are two channels for the iron bridge, the main part of which is still in situ and comprises 6 plated panels resting on an ashlar padstone. The rear abutments are angled to the gradient on the uphill side; at the front they are some 45 courses high and appear to have had some stone coping now mainly disappeared; no extant parapet; angled approach wall right. Now neglected and ivy covered though bridge is still a pathway.

Reason for designation

Listed as a mostly intact structure of a mid C19 industrial transport complex and representative of the second stage of development under John Brogden of the Tondu Ironworks founded in 1830s by Sir Robert Price.