Pont-y-Cafnau | |
|---|---|
 Pont-y-Cafnau | |
| Coordinates | 51°45′17″N 3°23′44″W / 51.75467°N 3.39550°W |
| Carries | (originally) Gurnos Tramway, aqueduct; (today) pedestrians |
| Crosses | River Taff |
| Locale | Cyfarthfa Ironworks, Merthyr Tydfil |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | King post truss |
| Material | Cast iron |
| Total length | 14.2 metres (47 ft) |
| History | |
| Designer | Watkin George |
| Constructed by | Cyfarthfa Ironworks |
| Construction end | January–June, 1793 |
| Location | |
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The Pont-y-Cafnau (Welsh for 'bridge of troughs'; sometimes written Pont y Cafnau or Pontycafnau), is a 14.2-metre (47 ft) long iron truss bridge over the River Taff in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales. The bridge was designed by Watkin George and built in 1793 for his employer, the Cyfarthfa Ironworks, to support both a tramway and an aqueduct to carry limestone and water into the works. A Grade II* listed building and Scheduled Ancient Monument, the Pont-y-Cafnau is the world's earliest surviving iron railway bridge.[1][2][3][4]
- ^ DeLony, Efic (1996). "Context for World Heritage Bridges". International Council on Monuments and Sites. Retrieved 20 February 2013.
- ^ Cragg, Roger (1997). Civil Engineering Heritage: Wales & West Central England. London: Thomas Telford / Institution of Civil Engineers. pp. 91–92. ISBN 0-7277-2576-9.
- ^ Cadw. "Pont-y-Cafnau (Grade II*) (11408)". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
- ^ Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales (1990). "Cadw Scheduling Records". Retrieved 14 January 2010.