Conwy Bridge, Conwy Suspension Bridge and Conwy Tubular Bridge

I mainly headed down near the river side in Conwy to see the Conwy Suspension Bridge but saw that the 1958 Conwy Bridge blocking the view!

The view from this side must have looked nice before the new road bridge was built in the late 1950s.

These views from the Conwy Quay.

It opened on the 13th December 1958. The engineers was H. W. Fitzsimons & Messers C. W. Glover & Partners. Consulting architect was Sir Percy Thomas. Contractor was Sir William Arrol & Co Ltd.

The Conwy Suspension Bridge is a Grade I-listed structure and is one of the first road suspension bridges in the world. Located in the medieval town of Conwy in Conwy county borough, North Wales, it is now only passable on foot. The bridge is now in the care of the National Trust. It originally carried the road from Chester to Bangor.

Built by Thomas Telford, the 99.5-metre-long (326 ft) suspension bridge spans the River Conwy next to Conwy Castle, a World Heritage Site. The bridge was built in 1822–26 at a cost of £51,000 and replaced the ferry at the same point. It is in the same style as one of Telford's other bridges, the Menai Suspension Bridge crossing the Menai Strait. The original wooden deck was replaced by an iron roadway in the late nineteenth century and it was strengthened by adding wire cables above the original iron chains in 1903. The following year a six-foot-wide (1.8 m) walkway was added for pedestrian traffic. The bridge was superseded by a new road bridge built alongside in 1958 and is now only used as a footbridge. It has been owned by the National Trust since 1965.

Telford designed the bridge to match the adjacent Conwy Castle. The bridge deck is suspended by four tiers of two chains each (a fifth tier was added later) carried over castellated towers that have a central archway over the road with machicolation. The chains are anchored on the east side of the river by a freestone and concrete plinth while those on the western side are anchored to the eastern barbican of the castle and bedrock. Part of the castle had to be demolished during construction to anchor the suspension cables.

Conwy Tubular Bridge

The Conwy Railway Bridge carries the North Wales coast railway line across the River Conwy between Llandudno Junction and the town of Conwy. The wrought iron tubular bridge, which is now Grade I listed, was built in the 19th century. It is the last surviving example of this type of design by Stephenson after the Britannia Bridge across the Menai Strait was destroyed in a fire in the 1970s.

The Conway Railway Bridge was designed by railway engineer Robert Stephenson in collaboration with William Fairbairn and Eaton Hodgkinson. The original plan had been for suspension bridge complementing Thomas Telford's Conwy Suspension Bridge of 1826. After Stephenson's appointment as chief engineer, the design was changed because a suspension bridge was considered unsuitable for trains. Stephenson and his collaborators invented the wrought-iron box-girder structure to bridge the River Conwy in a single span.

During May 1846, groundwork for the bridge commenced. The architect Francis Thompson dressed the pylons at either end as barbicans, with crenellated turrets, arrow slits and bartizans to complement the adjacent Conwy Castle. Unusually, the tubes were completed onshore before being attached to pontoons, floated along the river and jacked into position between the abutments. The bridge was officially opened in 1849. The bridge endorsed the construction of the larger Britannia Bridge. During 1899, the tubular sections were reinforced with cast iron columns to reduce the load on the span across the river. In September 1950, Conwy Tubular Bridge was recognised as being a Grade I listed building; it is also a scheduled monument (CN167).

The Conwy Railway Bridge carries the North Wales coast railway line across the River Conwy between Llandudno Junction and the town of Conwy. The wrought iron tubular bridge, which is now Grade I listed, was built in the 19th century. It is the last surviving example of this type of design by Stephenson after the Britannia Bridge across the Menai Strait was destroyed in a fire in the 1970s.

The Conway Railway Bridge was designed by railway engineer Robert Stephenson in collaboration with William Fairbairn and Eaton Hodgkinson. The original plan had been for suspension bridge complementing Thomas Telford's Conwy Suspension Bridge of 1826. After Stephenson's appointment as chief engineer, the design was changed because a suspension bridge was considered unsuitable for trains. Stephenson and his collaborators invented the wrought-iron box-girder structure to bridge the River Conwy in a single span.

During May 1846, groundwork for the bridge commenced. The architect Francis Thompson dressed the pylons at either end as barbicans, with crenellated turrets, arrow slits and bartizans to complement the adjacent Conwy Castle. Unusually, the tubes were completed onshore before being attached to pontoons, floated along the river and jacked into position between the abutments. The bridge was officially opened in 1849. The bridge endorsed the construction of the larger Britannia Bridge. During 1899, the tubular sections were reinforced with cast iron columns to reduce the load on the span across the river. In September 1950, Conwy Tubular Bridge was recognised as being a Grade I listed building; it is also a scheduled monument (CN167).

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Taken in: United Kingdom / Wales / Deganwy (show map)

Taken on: August 20, 2018

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Conwy

Conwy county borough

United Kingdom

Great Britain

Conwy Castle

River Conwy

bridge

Conwy Bridge

tree

trees

H. W. Fitzsimons

Messers C. W. Glover & Partners

Sir Percy Thomas

Sir William Arrol & Co Ltd

boat

boats

Conwy Suspension Bridge

National Trust

originally carried the road from Chester to Bangor

Thomas Telford

World Heritage Site

UNESCO

UNESCO World Heritage Site

castellated towers

Grade I listed

The National Trust

suspension bridge

suspension bridge with castellated towers

pair of round turrets, with blind loops, spanning a segmental arch

bridges

Conwy Rd

Afon Conwy

RNBConwy

Conwy Tubular Bridge

Robert Stephenson

Conwy Railway Bridge

North Wales coast railway line

wrought iron tubular bridge

William Fairbairn

Eaton Hodgkinson

wrought-iron box-girder structure

scheduled monument

Tubular Railway Bridge

Chester-Holyhead Railway

Francis Thompson

William Evans

ashlar rectangular castellated towers

Conwy Quay

Pont Conwy

The Quay

The Quay, Conwy « less

Sets appears in: • Railway in Conwy • Conwy Suspension Bridge more » • Conwy Bridge (1958) • Conwy « less

Groups appears in: • Rivers • Bridges of the World more » • Rivers and Streams • Historic Bridges • UK Railway Map • River Names of Britain « less

Camera: Panasonic DMC-FZ72, f/5.1, 1/800 sec, 21mm, ISO 160 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Panasonic DMC-FZ72
Aperture:	f/5.1
Exposure Time:	0.001 sec (1/800)
Focal Length:	21mm
ISO:	160
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Program AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Gain Control:	Low gain up
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Ver.1.0
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