Latitude: 51.7586 / 51°45'31"N
Longitude: -3.4061 / 3°24'21"W
OS Eastings: 303049
OS Northings: 207597
OS Grid: SO030075
Mapcode National: GBR HM.0HYP
Mapcode Global: VH6CX.X264
Plus Code: 9C3RQH5V+FH
Entry Name: Cefn Railway Viaduct
Listing Date: 11 July 1951
Last Amended: 19 December 2002
Grade: II*
Source: Cadw
Source ID: 11377
Building Class: Transport
ID on this website: 300011377
Location: On the SW side of Cefn Coed-y-cymmer crossing the valley of the Afon Taf Fawr.
County: Merthyr Tydfil
Community: Park (Parc)
Community: Park
Locality: Cefn Coed-y-cymmer
Built-Up Area: Merthyr Tydfil
Traditional County: Glamorgan
Tagged with: Railway viaduct
Railway viaduct, built 1866 by Henry Conybeare and Alexander Sutherland for Savin and Ward at a cost of £25,000. Sutherland was a friend of Robert Crawshay of the nearby Cyfarthfa Iron Works. The viaduct carried the former Brecon and Merthyr Railway over the Afon Taf Fawr and was built on a curve to satisfy conditions laid down by the Crawshay Estate. It was planned to be constructed entirely of limestone like the nearby Pontsarn Viaduct but a trade union strike by stonemasons in February 1866 caused the company to buy 800,000 bricks from Hirwaun and Welshpool and use bricklayers to complete the fifteen arches. Most of the masons were sacked shortly after returning to work. The first arch from the Vaynor side was keyed on 12 May 1866 and the last on 27 August 1866. The viaduct was built for double-line working but a single track only was installed, on the N side.
Railway viaduct; abutments, tall slender piers and parapets of coursed irregular sized rock-faced limestone blocks and fifteen ring-built semi-circular brick arches each of six courses. The piers have a projecting impost band and there are 2 projecting string courses below the parapets. The viaduct is built on a gentle arc some 235m long and has a maximum height of approximately 36m. An inscription on the S side reads 'Built by Savin and Ward 1866'.
Included at II* as one of the most historically interesting and architecturally impressive railway viaducts in Wales.
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