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Latitude: 51.7604 / 51°45'37"N
Longitude: -3.4063 / 3°24'22"W
OS Eastings: 303040
OS Northings: 207795
OS Grid: SO030077
Mapcode National: GBR HM.09WY
Mapcode Global: VH6CX.X03S
Plus Code: 9C3RQH6V+5F
Entry Name: Cefn Railway Viaduct
Listing Date: 11 July 1951
Last Amended: 16 June 2003
Grade: II*
Source: Cadw
Source ID: 11382
Building Class: Transport
ID on this website: 300011382
Location: On the SW side of Cefn Coed-y-Cymmer crossing the valley of the Afon Taff Fawr.
County: Merthyr Tydfil
Town: Merthyr Tydfil
Community: Vaynor (Y Faenor)
Community: Vaynor
Locality: Cefn Coed-y-Cymmer
Built-Up Area: Merthyr Tydfil
Traditional County: Brecknockshire
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 Taff 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.
External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.
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