Skip to content
The Great Britain Guide

Historic bridges · South Wales

Smart's Bridge

Free admission

Smart's Bridge — Grade II* listed building-listed bridge in wales-south, United Kingdom.

Remains of Clydach Gorge Ironworks. - geograph.org.uk - 1465873

David Lewis — CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons licence

Plan your visit

Typical visit
15 min–30 min
  • Free entry
  • Dog-friendly

About

Smart's Bridge is a Grade II* listed building-listed bridge in wales-south, United Kingdom, registered on the Cadw register of listed buildings (Wales) (entry 23813). Listed status protects buildings and structures of special architectural or historic interest. See the linked Wikipedia article for further details.

Photo gallery

Heritage listing

Smart's Bridge, Llanelly, Monmouthshire, is a cast-iron bridge situated in Clydach Gorge. Constructed in 1824, it gave access to the Clydach Ironworks, the most significant industrial enterprise in the gorge. The bridge was designated a Grade II* listed structure in 2000.

From Cadw under OGL v3.

From the Wikipedia article

Smart's Bridge, Llanelly, Monmouthshire, is a cast-iron bridge situated in Clydach Gorge. Constructed in 1824, it gave access to the Clydach Ironworks, the most significant industrial enterprise in the gorge. The bridge was designated a Grade II* listed structure in 2000.

Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.

Background

History

The Clydach Ironworks were established in 1793 by Edward Frere and Thomas Cooke, on land sublet from the Duke of Beaufort. By the early 19th century, the works were the major industrial enterprise in the gorge and Smart's Bridge was built in 1824 to give a tramway link from the works to the Clydach Railroad. By the mid 19th century, the firm was heavily in debt, and closed in 1861. The ironworks were bought, firstly, by the Clydach Sheet and Bar Iron Company, and, secondly, by the Brynmawr Coal and Iron Company, and finally closed in 1877. In 1987, Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council took responsibility for the site, stabilised the remains, and opened it to the public.

Architecture

The bridge is a single span, of cast iron, with "lancet tracery in the arch spandrels." The bridge is constructed on rubble piers and is 2.09 meters in length. The railings are replacements from the 1980s.

Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Coordinates
51.8127, -3.1202
Parish
Llanelly
Postcode
NP7 0LH
Parliamentary constituency
Monmouthshire
Opening
|closed=

Sources

Other places nearby

Loading nearby places…

Nearby

More bridges in this region

Frequently asked questions

Where is Smart's Bridge?
Smart's Bridge is in South Wales, United Kingdom (postcode NP7 0LH), in the parish of Llanelly.
Is Smart's Bridge a listed building?
Smart's Bridge is officially recognised as Grade II* listed building listed.
Is Smart's Bridge free to visit?
Yes, Smart's Bridge is free to enter.
How do I get to Smart's Bridge?
Drivers can navigate to postcode NP7 0LH. It sits within the Monmouthshire parliamentary constituency.