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Cof Cymru: National Historic Assets of Wales · Wales

Pontsarn Railway Viaduct (also in Pant Community)

Vaynor, Merthyr Tydfil, Wales

A Grade II* listed building in Pontsarn, Merthyr Tydfil, Vaynor, designated on 22 August 1975.

Ordnance Survey six-inch map, 2nd edition (1888–1913) covering the location of Pontsarn Railway Viaduct (also in Pant Community), Vaynor, Merthyr Tydfil, with a pin at the register's coordinates
Ordnance Survey six-inch map, 2nd edition (1888–1913), covering this location. Courtesy of the National Library of Scotland. The pin is ours, placed from the register's coordinates.

The record

Designation
Listed building, Grade II*
Broad class
No class recorded
Date of designation
22 August 1975
Locality
Pontsarn
Town
Merthyr Tydfil
Community
Vaynor
Unitary authority
Merthyr Tydfil
Country
Wales
Coordinates
51.77976, -3.38522
Cadw reference
81196

Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.

David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

5 historical maps cover this location, the earliest the 1636 map "Cornubia : Devonia, Somersetus, Dorcestria, Wiltonia, Glocestria ..." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).

Historical maps covering this location

  • 1636 · Cornubia : Devonia, Somersetus, Dorcestria, Wiltonia, Glocestria ... (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1830 · V.3:11-15:XV. Britisches Reich. A. Kon: England. b. Frstenthum Wales: Shire: 37-40 (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1856 · 42. Brecon. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1898 · 231 Merthyr Tydfil (Hills) (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1898 · 231 Merthyr Tydfil (Outline) (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)

Get directions ↗

This record in Cadw's own full report ↗

Cadw's description

Location

Crossing the Afon Taff Fechan just N of Pontsarn and some 600m NW of the remains of Morlais Castle.

History

Railway viaduct, built 1866 by Henry Conybeare and Alexander Sutherland for Savin and Ward. The viaduct carried the former Brecon and Merthyr Railway over the Afon Taff Fechan and was built of limestone from railway cuttings. The viaduct was designed for double-line working but a single track only was installed, on the N side. In deteriorating condition at time of survey.

Exterior

Railway viaduct of 7 arches; abutments, tall slender piers and parapets of coursed irregular sized rock-faced limestone blocks and seven segmental arches with limestone voussoirs . The piers have a projecting impost band and a projecting string course below the parapets. The viaduct is built on a straight line some 138m long and has a maximum height of approximately 28m.

Reason for designation

Included at II* as an historically important and architecturally impressive railway viaduct. Part of the same railway engineering project as the Cefn Coed viaduct (Grade II*).

Nearby in the register

Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.

Designated Historic Asset GIS Data, The Welsh Historic Environment Service (Cadw), 2026-09-07, licensed under the Open Government Licence http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/ Cadw, the Welsh Historic Environment Service · Open Government Licence v3.0
All No class recorded in Merthyr Tydfil All Unitary authority Merthyr Tydfil records All Wales Heritage registers Historical markers (US)National Register of Historic Places (US)
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