Caerhowel Bridge (partly in Berriew community)

Cadw's description

Location

Situated between Caerhowel and Garthmyl, carrying B4385 over the River Severn.

History

Road bridge over the River Severn rebuilt in 1858-9 to designs by Thomas Penson, county surveyor, after the innovative taper-chain suspension bridge of 1852-4 by James Dredge had collapsed. This replaced a timber bridge damaged in 1852. Built to a cast-iron arch construction developed by Thomas Telford and common to all three of Penson's iron bridges, including Llandinam 1846 and Brynderwen 1852-3. The bridge is made up of several cast-iron arches in parallel, each made up of standard segments, linked by horizontal and diagonal bracing, and carrying the road-deck. The cast-iron came from the Brymbo Foundry, the contractor was David Davies of Llandinam. The two arches are each of 70' 6" span, on stone abutments and centre pier.
For many years a Bailey bridge was erected on top of the roadway, replaced in 2003-4 by a new roadway on concrete beams inserted between the original cast-iron arches, with the original railings replaced, but now detached from the arches. New bridge is by Alun Griffiths Contractors Ltd.

Exterior

Road bridge, cast-iron with sandstone ashlar central and outer piers. Two arches formed of five parallel cast-iron arches formed of bolted segments and connected by horizontal and diagonal struts. The arches are pierced to a cusped lattice pattern and the big open spandrels have raking uprights. Road deck has cast iron outer girders with raised panel ornament and with the inscriptions ' Thomas Penson County Surveyor 1858' and 'Brymbo Company Iron Founders 1858'. Above are iron railings with dog-bars and trefoil heads between full-height uprights.
Rounded ended centre cutwater with tooled chamfered band below sloping masonry from which the iron arches spring, also rounded to front with rounded capstone. Pier of unusual green sandstone ashlar with brown ashlar bullnosed cornice under ashlar parapet pier with heavy tooled stepped cap, pyramid topped. Plaque on upstream side: 'Thomas Penson County Surveyor 1858' and on downstream side 'Brymbo Company Iron Founders 1858'. Similar stone outer bridge piers. Beyond outer piers are abutments of rock-faced stone with broad band under massive plain ashlar parapets with thin iron rail.

Reason for designation

Included for its special historic interest as a fine mid C19 cast-iron road bridge.