Penallt Viaduct, also known as Redbrook Bridge, is a disused railway viaduct across the

River Wye The River Wye (; ) is the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, fourth-longest river in the UK, stretching some from its source on Plynlimon in mid Wales to the Severn Estuary. The lower reaches of the river forms part of Wales-England bor ...

between England and Wales. It spans the river just south-east of

Monmouth Monmouth ( or ; ) is a market town and community (Wales), community in Monmouthshire, Wales, situated on where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. The population in the 2011 census was 10,508, rising from 8 ...

, between

Penallt Penallt (also spelled Penalt) is a village in Monmouthshire, Wales, situated high on a hill south of Monmouth. In the centre of the village, by the village green, stands the 17th-century village pub, the Bush Inn. Description Nearby, ''Penallt ...

, in

Monmouthshire Monmouthshire ( ; ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South East Wales, south east of Wales. It borders Powys to the north; the English counties of Herefordshire and Gloucestershire to the north and east; the Severn Estuary to the s ...

, on the Welsh side, and

Redbrook Redbrook is a village in Gloucestershire, England, adjoining the border with Monmouthshire, Wales. It is located on the River Wye and is within the Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. History Both Upper and Lower Redbrook were ment ...

, in

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...

, on the English side. It is located within the

Wye Valley The Wye Valley () is a valley in Wales and England. The River Wye () is the Rivers of Great Britain#Longest rivers in the United Kingdom, fourth-longest river in the United Kingdom. The upper part of the valley is in the Cambrian Mountains an ...

Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). It formerly carried the

Wye Valley Railway The Wye Valley Railway was a standard gauge railway that ran for nearly along the Lower Wye Valley between the towns of Chepstow and Monmouth, crossing several times between Wales and England. Opened on 1 November 1876, it was leased to, and w ...

. The route opened on 1 November 1876.

Design

The viaduct is a single-track structure of five

wrought-iron Wrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon content (less than 0.05%) in contrast to that of cast iron (2.1% to 4.5%), or 0.25 for low carbon "mild" steel. Wrought iron is manufactured by heating and melting high carbon cast iron in an ...

lattice girder A lattice girder is a truss girder where the load is carried by a web of latticed metal. Overview The lattice girder was used prior to the development of larger rolled steel plates. It has been supplanted in modern construction with welded ...

spans supported on four pairs of

cast-iron Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content of more than 2% and silicon content around 1–3%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloying elements determine the form in which its car ...

columns which have X-shaped bracing between them. Each span is a separate girder and the piers are at right angles to the river current, giving the bridge a sharp skew. A steel footbridge on concrete supports, attached to the viaduct on the upstream side by steel brackets, was added in 1955. It is located between the former and stations. Passenger services ceased on the railway in 1959 and it closed to freight in January 1964. The footbridge was jointly provided by the pre-1974 Monmouthshire and Gloucestershire County Councils who agreed in 1953 to pay for the construction of the footbridge attached to the viaduct.

History

The bridge was built from 1875 and opened in 1876 for the Monmouth and Wye Valley Railway, which was later absorbed into the

Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a History of rail transport in Great Britain, British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, ...

. It was designed by the engineers S. H. Yockney and Son of Westminster, and built by the contractors Reed Brothers of London. The line closed to passenger services in 1959 and freight in 1964 but the footbridge remained open to provide a pedestrian route across the river and between the two villages. It is part of the

Wye Valley Walk The Wye Valley Walk () is a long distance footpath in Wales and England following the course of the River Wye. History In 1975 the Wye Valley Walk opened with a stretch between St. Arvans and Monmouth. Further stretches were added, leading to ...

long-distance footpath. In 2012, it and two other nearby former railway bridges over the Wye—one at

Lydbrook Lydbrook is a civil parish in the Forest of Dean, a local government district in the English county of Gloucestershire and is located in the Wye Valley. It is on the north west edge of the Forest of Dean's present legal boundary proper. It c ...

and the Tintern Wireworks Bridge—underwent a condition survey as part of a project to explore possible future uses. The survey was followed by a public consultation, organised by the Wye Valley AONB authorities. Proposals emerged the following year for restoration and conservation which was estimated to cost £600,000–£900,000. The bridge is a Grade II

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

in both England and Wales; it was first designated in England on 24 September 1984 and in Wales on 28 February 2001. The Welsh designation notes the reason for the listing as "unusually interesting survival of an all metal railway bridge dating from 1876 in an exceptional location".

References

{{coord, 51.78526, -2.67382, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Railway viaducts in Gloucestershire Wye Valley Railway Railway bridges in Monmouthshire Forest of Dean Pedestrian bridges in England Pedestrian bridges in Wales Railway viaducts in Wales Bridges across the River Wye Former railway bridges in the United Kingdom

Design

History

See also

References