Old Tramway Bridge (Formerly Wireworks Bridge)

Summary

Bridge, 1875, by S.H. Yockney of Victoria Street, Westminster.

Reasons for Designation

Old Tramway Bridge has been designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons: * The Welsh part of the bridge is already designated as a listed building by Cadw at Grade II. * It is an unusual mid-C19 light-rail bridge. * It is largely complete in its original form and is of good quality design with impressive rubble stone abutments and large flood arches. * It provides part of the setting of Tintern and its Abbey.

History

The Wye Valley was a rural industrial area from early medieval times, when mining and milling became established. Tintern village lies close to the border of England and Wales. Prior to the coming of the railways in the mid-C19, the majority of long distance goods transportation across England was made via coastal and river routes. The River Wye was a busy trading route. The Wye Valley Railway was built to the designs of chief engineer Samuel Yockney and opened in 1876 to improve trade between local market towns. The Wireworks Branch was ready by 1876 to serve a wireworks at Tintern. However, the works had closed by the time the railway started to operate. The works reopened in the 1880s, at which time the branch line was first used. The Wireworks Branch of the Wye Valley Railway ceased to operate in 1901. The bridge and track was then used as a horse-drawn tramway, hence its current name. It ceased to be used in the 1930s and the track was sold for the war effort in 1941. It has been a public footpath ever since and the bridge has remained unaltered during this time.

Details

1686/0/10019

A466

Old Tramway Bridge (formerly Wireworks Bridge)

24-FEB-10

II

Bridge, 1875, by S.H. Yockney of Victoria Street, Westminster.

MATERIALS & CONSTRUCTION: plate girder construction with cast iron parapet and stone abutments and piers.

DESCRIPTION: A wrought iron three truss-girder span, with three sets of riveted cross-braced ironwork forming the sides of the bridge. The girders and roadway connect with sandstone parapets at either end, which are constructed within stone abutments on raised river embankments. The north-west abutment (English side) has two flood arches. Two large rubble sandstone piers support the centre of the bridge. The ironwork is painted. The former trackway is now timber boarded. The stonework is of Forest of Dean Stone, a form of sandstone, and is finished as coursed rubble. The abutments stand in the banks of the River Wye and are sited sixty five metres apart. They rise to support the elevated position of the bridge, which gives sufficient clearance for tall-masted river vessels. Stone parapets and walling line the track at either end of the bridge.

This entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 10 September 2016.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

506524

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Crow, A, Bridges on the River Wye, (1995)
Handley, B, The Wye Valley Railway, (1982)

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.

Print the official list entry