Pont y Cefn

Cadw's description

Location

Situated on the S side of Cefn Coed-y-Cymmer some 0.5km NW of Cyfarthfa Castle, crossing the Afon Taff Fechan just S of the Old Cefn Bridge.

History

Road bridge, built 1908-09 to take the main Merthyr Tydfil to Brecon Road over the Afon Taff Fechan replacing the C18 bridge just upstream. It also carried the electric tram of the Merthyr Tydfil Light Railway which opened 1901 with a terminus at the Morning Sun Inn, The new bridge enabled an extension N into the High Street at Cefn Coed-y-Cymmer in 1909-10. The bridge was the first ferro-concrete bridge in the area, this type of construction making possible considerable savings in weight and cost. It was repaired in 1949 at a cost of £223 and major repairs were undertaken in 1989 following a 24.5 tonnes load limit being imposed in 1985.

Exterior

Road bridge, ferro-concrete single open-arched structure with vertical piers in spandrels between the arch and carriageway. The balustrades and rails may have been modified or replaced. The bridge was built on a considerable skew over the Afon Taff Fechan with the carriageway 5.4m wide, parapets some 1.3m high and a 2.1m footpath on the N side only. The carriageway extends beyond the main bridge structure on the E side possibly to accommodate a path or track.

Reason for designation

Included as historically important as the first ferro-concrete bridge structure in the region.