Cof Cymru: National Historic Assets of Wales · Wales
Neath Abbey Railway Viaduct
Dyffryn Clydach, Neath Port Talbot, Wales
The record
- Designation
- Listed building, Grade II
- Broad class
- Transport
- Date of designation
- 26 November 2003
- Welsh name
- Traphont Rheilffordd Abaty Nedd
- Locality
- Neath Abbey
- Town
- Neath
- Community
- Dyffryn Clydach
- Unitary authority
- Neath Port Talbot
- Country
- Wales
- Coordinates
- 51.66505, -3.82570
- Cadw reference
- 82092
Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.
David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
Shown on 5 historical map sheets, the earliest the 1636 "Cornubia : Devonia, Somersetus, Dorcestria, Wiltonia, Glocestria ..." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
Cadw's description
Location
Crossing the River Clydach and Taillwynd Road some 120m N of Neath Abbey Road.
History
Railway viaduct built for the South Wales Railway c1850, probably to designs of I.K. Brunel.
Exterior
Railway viaduct over road and river valley. Squared coursed rubble stone with cut sandstone dressings. First arch over the road has cut stone voussoirs to an elliptical arch with broad stone piers each side and two-step cut-stone cornice broken forward around the piers under a high parapet with raised plinth and cut stone coping. Stonework under arch is skewed. Second arch is broader and shallower and there are no further raised piers. The piers between the subsequent arches are divided axially by a narrow arch, the second pier still on the high level has only an arch head visible from under the second arch but the three much taller arches of the gorge have the piers dramatically split as seen axially with tooled cut stone voussoirs and tooled stone to the piers of much finer quality than in the two end arches.
Reason for designation
Included as a particularly fine railway viaduct associated with I.K. Brunel, the renowned engineer.
Nearby in the register
- No. 1 Blast Furnace at former Neath Abbey IronworksIndustrialunder 1 mi
- No. 2 Blast Furnace at former Neath Abbey IronworksIndustrialunder 1 mi
- Neath Abbey IronworksIronworksunder 1 mi
- Forge tramroad bridge at Neath Abbey IronworksTransportunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.