British Listed Buildings

History in Structure

Quakers Yard Railway Viaduct

A Grade II* Listed Building in Treharris, Merthyr Tydfil

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Coordinates

Latitude: 51.6596 / 51°39'34"N

Longitude: -3.3191 / 3°19'8"W

OS Eastings: 308853

OS Northings: 196473

OS Grid: ST088964

Mapcode National: GBR HR.6MTM

Mapcode Global: VH6DC.FK52

Plus Code: 9C3RMM5J+V9

Entry Name: Quakers Yard Railway Viaduct

Listing Date: 4 January 1988

Last Amended: 20 February 2003

Grade: II*

Source: Cadw

Source ID: 11514

Building Class: Transport

ID on this website: 300011514

Location: Crossing the Afon Taf just S of Edwardsville.

County: Merthyr Tydfil

Town: Merthyr Tydfil

Community: Treharris

Community: Treharris

Locality: Quakers Yard

Built-Up Area: Treharris

Traditional County: Glamorgan

Tagged with: Railway viaduct

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Treharris

History

Railway bridge over the Afon Taf of 1840-1 by I K Brunel built for the Taff Vale Railway, opened April 1841, doubled in width before 1861. A remarkable early railway bridge of massive construction with octagonal piers necessitating deep chamfers to the arches. The viaduct crosses the line of the Penydarren tramroad on the N side of the river.

Exterior

Railway viaduct over the Afon Taf. Very tall slightly curving viaduct of 6 arches, the original viaduct upstream and only visible from N. Massive rock-faced squared masonry and highly modelled octagonal piers, the rock-facing tooled at edges, banded 3 times with broad 3-course bands of tooled masonry, and the capitals of 6 stepped courses of rock-faced stone. Remarkable arches deeply splayed at edges, the splays in tooled stone as also the arch soffits. Rockfaced stone in spandrels, big coved string course in tooled stone and rock-faced stone parapets with ashlar copings. Splayed out ends to abutments.
Addition of matching scale is simpler, having regular piers, caps in 2 courses, arches with rock-faced stone voussoirs and vermiculated keystones. Coved string course breaks forward over keystones.

Reasons for Listing

Graded II* as one of the most remarkable bridges by Brunel to survive in Wales.

External Links

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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Other nearby listed buildings

  • II* Greenfield Bridge, Penydarren Tramroad
    Crossing the Afon Taf some 200m NE of the railway viaduct at Quakers Yard.
  • II Lock House
    At the NE community boundary in an area known as Five Locks, just W of the A470 and reached by a track leading down from Goitre Coed Road between Abercynon and Quakers Yard.
  • II* Victoria Bridge, Penydarren Tramroad
    Crossing the Afon Taf just N and W of Cardiff Road and some 75m N of Bryneulog Terrace.
  • II Berthlwyd
    In a prominent location on the hill S of Quakers Yard, reached by a track W off Pentwyn Road.
  • II Treharris Public Library
    Situated near the centre of Treharris, on the E side of Perrott Street just N of its junction with John Street.
  • II Tabernacle Independent Chapel.
    In centre of Treharris, opposite Bethel Chapel, on rise overlooking valley. Iron rails along side and stone gate piers at upper end, into forecourt.
  • II Pont y Gwaith
    Reached down a steep by-road from the old Cardiff to Merthyr road; by-road crosses the former Taff Vale Railway and the line of the Merthyr tramroad before descending to river. Sharp right hand turn
  • II Pontygwaith Rail Overbridge
    Reached down a steep by-road from the old Cardiff to Merthyr road; by-road crosses the former Taff Vale Railway and the Penydarren Tramroad.

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