Trefechan Bridge (or Pont Aberystwyth) over the River Rheidol, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, North Wales. 1887. Engineer: Sir James Weeks Szlumper (1834-1926); built by David Lloyd of Aberystwyth (see listing text). Having been his assistant, Szlumper had taken over from Hamilton Fulton, the engineer of the Manchester and Milford Railway, in 1861, and was by now closely involved with constructing railway lines in Wales. This, however, is a bridge for traffic and pedestrians. A Grade II listed structure, it is described in Cadw (the Welsh Government's historic environment service) in these terms: "Triple broad segmental arched bridge, bull nosed rubble with voussoirs, and pilasters over round ended cutwaters. Pilasters topped by cast iron lampstandards." It replaced a 5-arched one of c. 1798 designed by John Nash, which was washed away in floods in 1886, itself the second bridge on this spot to have met such a fate. Fortunately, Szlumper's work here has stood the test of time and the Welsh weather.
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Photograph by Colin Price, with text by Price and Jacqueline Banerjee. You may use the image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the photographer and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or to the Victorian Web in a print document. [Click on the images to enlarge them.]
Bibliography
Full Report for Listed Buildigs. Cadw. Web. 11 September 2025.
James Weeks Szlumper. Grace's Guide. Web. 11 September 2025.
"Trefechan Bridge: Stone Bridge: Aberystwyth Bridge." Coflein (National Monuments Record of Wales (NMRW)). Web. 11 September 2025.
Created 11 September 2025