Pont Gam, Tonna, Neath Port Talbot

Coordinates

Latitude: 51.6802 / 51°40'48"N

Longitude: -3.7748 / 3°46'29"W

OS Eastings: 277388

OS Northings: 199429

OS Grid: SS773994

Mapcode National: GBR H4.577H

Mapcode Global: VH5GN.J188

Plus Code: 9C3RM6JG+33

Entry Name: Pont Gam

Listing Date: 29 January 1980

Last Amended: 25 February 2000

Grade: II

Source: Cadw

Source ID: 11840

Building Class: Transport

ID on this website: 300011840

Location: On the E side of the Aberdulais Basin at the junction of the Neath and Tennant Canals.

County: Neath Port Talbot

Community: Tonna

Locality: Aberdulais

Built-Up Area: Neath

Traditional County: Glamorgan

Tagged with: Bridge

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History

The Tennant Canal, engineered by William Kirkhouse, was begun in 1821 and opened in 1824 from the Neath Canal at Aberdulais to Port Tennant, Swansea. Traffic declined from the 1860s due to competition with railways but the canal did not close to commercial traffic until 1934.

Pont Gam was built in 1823 over the junction of the Neath and Tennant Canals. The bridge allowed horses to pass over the bridge to continue along the Neath Canal towpath, or to pass under the bridge from the Neath to the Tennant Canal.

Exterior

A high single-arched bridge of coursed sandstone. The segmental arch has a tooled arch ring. On the SE side is a rounded and stepped cutwater, where the Neath and Tennant Canals are joined. To the SW is a ramped approach, set at an angle with the parapet, which is corbelled out over the abutment on the E side.

On the N side the parapets curve out at acute angles, being corbelled out over the abutment on the W side. The parapets all descend to water level, retain much original flat stone coping but are also partly renewed with concrete, especially on the E side.

Reasons for Listing

Listed for its industrial archaeological interest as an early C19 canal structure, and for group value with other associated listed items on the Tennant Canal at Aberdulais. Thought to be the earliest skew-arch bridge 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.

Recommended Books

Other nearby listed buildings

II Aberdulais Basin at the head of the Tennant Canal
Approximately 0.4km N of Tonna village on the E side of the River Neath and W of the Neath Canal.
II Railway bridge on NE side of Railway Tavern
On the NE side of Railway Tavern N of Dulais Fach Road and S of Aberdulais Basin.
II* Aberdulais Aqueduct (partly in Blaenhonddan community)
Spanning the River Neath W of Aberdulais Basin and approximately 0.4km N of Tonna church.
II Aberdulais Viaduct (partly in Tonna community)
Spanning the Afon Nedd S of the Aberdulais Aqueduct and N of Dulais Fach Road.
II Old Works Library at Aberdulais Falls Tinplate Works
The former tinplate works are on the E bank of the Afon Dulais just N of Main Road. The Old Works Library is on the S side near the road.
II* Aberdulais Aqueduct (partly in Tonna community)
Spanning the Afon Nedd W of Aberdulais Basin and approximately 0.4km N of Tonna church.
II Former Stables at Aberdulais Falls Tinplate Works
The former tinplate works are on the E bank of the Afon Dulais just N of Main Road.
II Aberdulais Lock on Tennant Canal
On the W bank of the Afon Nedd between the Tennant Canal and the Aberdulais Aqueduct.

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History in Structure

Pont Gam

A Grade II Listed Building in Tonna, Neath Port Talbot