Brockweir Bridge

Summary

Bridge, 1906, Designed by S.W. & A.L. Yockney of Victoria Street, Westminster. The contractors were E. Finch and Company of Chepstow.

Reasons for Designation

Brockweir Bridge is designated for the following principal reasons: * The majority of the bridge is already designated as a listed building by Cadw at Grade II. * It is rare as an example of an early C20 road bridge using methods similar to those used in C19 railway construction. * The height of the bridge and spacing of the piers marks the former importance of Brockweir as a transhipment port. * It is complete in its original form and is of interesting design. * It is built in the remains of a medieval weir, marking an ancient river crossing point on the border of England and Wales.

History

The Wye Valley was a rural industrial area from early medieval times, when mining and milling became established. Brockweir village lies close to the border of England and Wales and a stone weir was mentioned at this location by C12. Tintern Abbey owned the weir by C14 and a footpath between the abbey and a Malthouse in Brockweir, crossing the river via the weir, was in use. Fisheries are recorded at Brockweir from C14 to C19.

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 and Brockweir stands at the most northerly point navigable by large ships. As a result of its location it became established as a transhipment port and shipyard by the C18.

The nearby Wye Valley Railway was built to the designs of chief engineer Samuel Yockney and opened in 1876 to improve trade between local market towns. His son, Sydney Yockney, and grandson, Algernon Yockney, both prominent engineers in their era, designed Brockweir Bridge. It was built in the manner of C19 railway bridges in 1905, but serves only pedestrian and motor vehicles. The bridge replaced a ferry as the means for crossing the river.

The Wye Valley Railway ceased to operate in the mid C20, leaving a number of bridges across the River Wye with no function. However, Brockweir Bridge has continually served road traffic since its opening at the beginning of the C20. The bridge was repaired and painted in the mid 1980s.

Details

1686/0/10018

Brockweir Bridge

24-FEB-10

GV

II

Bridge, 1906, Designed by S.W. & A.L. Yockney of Victoria Street, Westminster. The contractors were E. Finch and Company of Chepstow.

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

DESCRIPTION: Two sets of paired cylinders are cross-braced to form piers. Three spans of lattice girders form the sides of the bridge, with a roadway running between them. A narrow tarmacadam pavement with stone kerbing lines the south side of the roadway. The girders and roadway connect with stone parapets at either end, which are constructed within stone abutments on raised river embankments which raise the height of the entire structure to give sufficient clearance for tall-masted river vessels. The ironwork is painted.

The abutments and stone parapets are constructed using a mixture of grey and pink sandstone. The central section of the abutments, underneath the roadway, are of pink hues and the splayed buttresses and roadside parapet are markedly greyer in colour. The approach to the bridge from either end is framed by grassed embankments and white-painted post and rail fencing attached to the stone parapets. An iron makers plate is fixed to the bridge inscribed E FINCH & Co. LIMTD ENGINEERS 1908 IRONFOUNDERS CHEPSTOW. Another plate commemorates the repair work to the bridge in 1986 by Sheppard Adkins (Engineering) Ltd. On the northern parapet an inlaid slate tablet is inscribed and commemorates the bridge's centenary year in 2006.

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:

506252

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Verey, D, Brooks, A, The Buildings of England: Gloucestershire 2 The Vale and the Forest of Dean, (2002)
Buchanan, , Buchanan, , Batsford Guide to Industrial Archaeology Central Southern England, (1980)
Currie, CRJ, The Victoria History of the County of Gloucestershire: Volume V, (1996 )
Crow, A, Bridges on the River Wye, (1995)
Handley, B, The Wye Valley Railway, (1982)
Cooke, O, The Forest of Dean, (1913)

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