Menai Suspension Bridge from Holyhead Road on the A5

Leaving Menai Bridge, instead of crossing the Menai Suspension Bridge, we headed up Holyhead Road and went onto the Britannia Bridge for the first time. SatNav normally sends us up the Menai Suspension Bridge, but we had never crossed the Britannia Bridge before now!

The SatNav normally corrects itself when you ignore it!

The Menai Suspension Bridge was designed by Thomas Telford and opened in 1826.

It carries the A5.

The Menai Suspension Bridge (Welsh: Pont Grog y Borth) is a suspension bridge to carry road traffic between the island of Anglesey and the mainland of Wales. The bridge was designed by Thomas Telford and completed in 1826 and is a Grade I listed building.

Menai Suspension Bridge

History

Built 1818 to 1826 by Thomas Telford. This renowned bridge completed the London to Holyhead Turnpike Road. The site was chosen because its steep banks enabled the erection of a high bridge to satisfy the Admiralty's requirements. The construction was a development of Telford's own design for an unexecuted bridge over the Mersey and that by Captain Brown for a bridge over the Tweed. Opened 30 January 1826 - 100ft high (30.5 metres), 28ft ( 8.5 metres) wide roadway and with a single suspended span of 579ft ( 176.5 metres); 130ft (39.6 metres) longer than any previously built bridge. Reconstructed 1938-40 by Sir Alexander Gibb, for Dorman Long and Company. The chains were moved from their original central position to their present location and the toll house on the Anglesey side was demolished, the suspending members being anchored to either side of the new roadway. Work was completed and the bridge freed from tolls on 31st December 1940

Exterior

Coursed rubble Penmon masonry with ashlar facings to the tapered suspension towers or 'pyramids' from which the deck is hung on a system of 16 chains (originally iron, now steel) with pins. These are carried down at either end to a point deep into the rock. Four arches to Anglesey side and 3 to Bangor side, over tapered piers; voussoirs, impost bands and bracket cornice above. The later metal pedestrian walkways are further bracketed out; originally there was just the narrow central pavement. Each carriageway passes under the towers through semicircular arched openings, matched above by paired blind recesses over inscribed tablets. The handrails continue as far as the low tapered piers with pyramidal caps at each end and on the mainland side trellised railings continue to either side and sweep round to terminate in similar piers with panelled recesses.

Reasons for Listing

Listed Grade I as an exceptional example of early C19 engineering work, remarkable for its structural virtuosity and the resulting aesthetic effect. An essential part of Telford's great scheme to link London and Holyhead.

Some rights reserved

Taken in: United Kingdom / Wales / Menai Bridge (show map)

Taken on: August 23, 2018

Tags:

Holyhead Rd

Wales

United Kingdom

Great Britain

Isle of Anglesey

Ynys Mon

Menai Bridge

Menai Bridge Town

Porthaethwy

Gwynedd

Y Borth

Menai Strait

Menai Suspension Bridge

Thomas Telford

Grade I listed

Grade I listed building

London to Holyhead Turnpike Road

Alexander Gibb

Dorman Long and Company

Coursed rubble Penmon masonry with ashlar facings

deck is hung on a system of 16 chains (originally iron, now steel) with pins

Bangor

Bangor, Gwynedd

Caernarfonshire

Pont Y Borth

car

tree

trees « less

Sets appears in: • Menai Suspension Bridge • Menai Bridge Town

Groups appears in: • Bridges of the World • Historic Bridges more » • Thomas Telford • " AMAZING TREES " « less

Camera: Panasonic DMC-FZ72, f/4.2, 1/250 sec, 11.2mm, ISO 250 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Panasonic DMC-FZ72
Aperture:	f/4.2
Exposure Time:	0.004 sec (1/250)
Focal Length:	11.2mm
ISO:	250
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:	High gain up
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Ver.1.0
Show full info

Stats: 556 views