Carmarthen Bridge (also known locally as the Towy Bridge or Town Bridge) is the modern 1930s road bridge crossing the River Tywi in Carmarthen, Wales, carrying the A484 road. [1]
Carmarthen Bridge (also known locally as the Towy Bridge or Town Bridge) is the modern 1930s road bridge crossing the River Tywi in Carmarthen, Wales, carrying the A484 road. [1]
A stone bridge crossing the River Tywi at Carmarthen, nine miles from the river's mouth at the Bristol Channel, [2] was first recorded in 1233. [1] There was definitely no bridge at Carmarthen in 1188 when Giraldus Cambrensis visited. It is believed that a bridge was built during the 1233 siege of Carmarthen. [3] By 1326 the bridge had clearly become unusable, as it had been replaced by a boat service, and King Edward II allowed the collection of money from ferryboat men to fund a replacement crossing. The town's priory was still raising money for a replacement bridge in 1362. [3] Therefore, the bridge was repaired after this date. It was repaired and widened several times, in 1777 and 1834. [1] The old bridge had seven arches and was recorded in 1849 as having an iron balustrade. [2] The arches were divided by pointed cutwaters. [4] The old bridge was demolished in 1936 to make way for a modern replacement. [1]
The current road bridge is a three-arch concrete structure designed in 1933 by the architect Clough Williams-Ellis [1] (best known for designing the village of Portmeirion). Construction of the new bridge began in May 1936. Completed at a cost of £89,091, it came into public use in September 1937. It was officially opened by the Minister of Transport, Leslie Burgin, in April 1938. [1]
The Williams-Ellis bridge has curved grey sandstone cutwaters between each arch. The parapets are built up with layers of sandstone ashlar, alternating in thickness. There are Georgian style octagonal lamps attached to the parapets above each arch. The parapets continue some distance beyond the ends of the bridge, for example the southwest parapet curving down Station Approach [1] towards the nearby Carmarthen Railway Station.
The bridge was Grade II listed in 2003, being an early 20th-century concrete bridge designed by an important Welsh architect. [1]
Carmarthenshire is a county in the south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. The county is known as the "Garden of Wales" and is also home to the National Botanic Garden of Wales.
Carmarthen is the county town of Carmarthenshire and a community in Wales, lying on the River Towy 8 miles (13 km) north of its estuary in Carmarthen Bay. The population was 14,185 in 2011, down from 15,854 in 2001, but gauged at 16,285 in 2019. It has a claim to be the oldest town in Wales – Old Carmarthen and New Carmarthen became one borough in 1546. It was the most populous borough in Wales in the 16th–18th centuries, described by William Camden as "chief citie of the country". Growth stagnated by the mid-19th century as new settlements developed in the South Wales Coalfield.
Llandeilo is a town and community in Carmarthenshire, Wales, situated at the crossing of the River Towy by the A483 on a 19th-century stone bridge. Its population was 1,795 at the 2011 Census. It is adjacent to the westernmost point of the Brecon Beacons National Park. The town is served by Llandeilo railway station on the Heart of Wales Line.
The River Towy is one of the longest rivers flowing entirely within Wales. Its total length is 120 km (75 mi). It is noted for its sea trout and salmon fishing.
The Heart of Wales line is a railway line running from Craven Arms in Shropshire to Llanelli in southwest Wales. It serves a number of rural centres, including the nineteenth-century spa towns Llandrindod Wells, Llangammarch Wells and Llanwrtyd Wells. At Builth Road, two miles (3.3 km) from the town of Builth Wells, the line crosses the former route of the earlier Mid Wales Railway, which closed in the 1960s.
The Ladykirk and Norham Bridge connects Ladykirk in the Borders, Scotland, with Norham in Northumberland, England, across the River Tweed. It's one of three bridges that cross it along the Anglo-Scottish Border, the others being the Coldstream Bridge and the Union Chain Bridge; out of these, the Ladykirk and Norham Bridge is the youngest, opening to the public in 1888.
Llandeilo railway station serves the town of Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire. The station is 30+3⁄4 miles (49 km) north east of Swansea on the Heart of Wales Line.
Llansteffan, is a village and community situated on the south coast of Carmarthenshire, Wales, lying on the estuary of the River Tywi, 7 miles (11 km) south of Carmarthen.
Carmarthen railway station is on the West Wales Line serving the town of Carmarthen, Wales, south of the River Towy, 245 miles 55 chains (395.4 km) from the zero point at London Paddington, measured via Stroud. The station is operated by Transport for Wales. Great Western Railway also run a limited service between Carmarthen and London Paddington, usually six trains each way daily with an additional return service to Bristol Parkway.
Ystrad Tywi is a region of southwest Wales situated on both banks of the River Towy, it contained places such as Cedweli, Carnwyllion, Loughor, Llandeilo, and Gwyr. Although Ystrad Tywi was never a kingdom itself, it was historically a valuable territory and was fought over by the various kings of Dyfed, Deheubarth, Seisyllwg, Gwynedd, Morgannwg and the Normans.
Brechfa, situated between Llandeilo and Carmarthen in the county of Carmarthenshire, Wales, is a village that has existed since the 6th century at the top of the Cothi Valley. Brechfa village is set in countryside, as well as being located by the Brechfa Forest
Waun Lefrith is a top of Picws Du and is also the westernmost of the Carmarthen Fans, a group of peaks within the Black Mountain of the Brecon Beacons National Park. It lies within Carmarthenshire, Wales. The summit plateau of the mountain reaches a height of 2221 feet above sea level. Picws Du and Fan Foel are the other, higher summits of the Carmarthen Fans. The glacial lake of Llyn y Fan Fach dominates the panorama to the north of the peak. Beyond the lake to the north lies the Usk Reservoir and then the Cambrian Mountains on the horizon. Swansea Bay and the Bristol Channel are visible to the south across the undulating dip slope of the mountain. The Towy (Tywi) valley lies to the west, with Llandovery and Llandeilo as important market towns nearest to the hills.
Ffairfach is a village one-half mile (0.80 km) south of the market town of Llandeilo in the eastern part of Carmarthenshire, Wales. It is close to the confluence of the Afon Cennen and the River Towy. Population is 516 according to 2017 census.
Known as The Garden of Wales, Carmarthenshire is a county of rich, fertile farmland and productive seas and estuaries, that give it a range of foods that motivate many home cooks and restaurateurs. There is a local tradition in brewing, milling, gathering shellfish from the coasts and meat production. Carmarthenshire has been described by The Daily Telegraph as a "worthwhile destination for foodies" with the county having a modest matter of fact excellence. Carmarthenshire has ambitions to become the premier food-producing county of Wales, based on its strong reputation for first-class products. and Carmarthenshire County Council produces its own on-line and hard-copy recipe book called Taste from Carmarthenshire, for those interested in learning more about the county's cuisine.
Dolauhirion Bridge is a single arch stone bridge which carries road traffic from Llandovery to Cilycwm over the River Towy in Carmarthenshire, Wales. It is a grade I listed structure. At the time the bridge was built the road was the main coach road from Llandovery to Lampeter.
Llandeilo Bridge is a Grade II* listed road bridge crossing the River Towy in Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire, Wales. It carries the main A483 road towards Ffairfach.
Derwydd is a hamlet in the south-east of Carmarthenshire, Wales, historically situated in the parish of Llandybie, north of Ammanford. It is around halfway between Ammanford and Llandeilo, at a rural crossroads between the A483 and A476 roads.
The bedrock geology of Carmarthenshire in west Wales consists largely of Palaeozoic age sedimentary rocks. Unconsolidated deposits of Quaternary age in Carmarthenshire include a dissected cover of glacial till, valley floor alluvium and some scattered peat deposits in both upland and lowland settings. There are extensive beach and tidal flat deposits along the Carmarthenshire coast. The exploitation of the county's mineral riches, particularly coal and limestone, was a key part of the local economy through much of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Penwortham Old Bridge is a toll-free, five-span bridge over the River Ribble at Preston, Lancashire, England. A Grade II listed structure and a Scheduled monument, located about a mile southwest of the centre of the city, it crosses the river to Penwortham. Today the bridge no longer carries motorised traffic.
Bangor Bridge is a Grade I listed bridge crossing the River Dee in Bangor-on-Dee, Wrexham County Borough, Wales. It is situated on the community boundary between Bangor-is-y-Coed and Sesswick. Located to the west of Bangor-on-Dee, it connects the village's high street and the A525 road bypass. The narrow bridge is a one-way traffic bridge, west to east, and is downstream (north) of the Bangor by-pass bridge.
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