Usk Bridge (Brecon)
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The Usk Bridge (Welsh: Pont-Yr-Wysg) in Brecon, Powys, Wales is the town's oldest route over the River Usk. It carries the B4601 road, formerly the A40, between Brecon and Llanfaes.[1]
History[edit]
The river was fordable at Brecon and the date of construction of the original bridge here is uncertain. The existing stone bridge was built in 1563[2] and replaced an earlier bridge that was washed away in the floods of 1535.[3] It was widened in 1794 by bridge builder Thomas Edwards, at a cost of £1,000[2] (equivalent to £150,000 in 2023)[4]
During the 20th century it was widened further with the addition of metal framed footpaths on either side.[2] In the 1950s it required widening to take modern road traffic and a new concrete bed, described as "functional and safe but extremely ugly", was laid on top of the original stone base.[3]
Status[edit]
The bridge is a Grade I listed structure.[2]
References[edit]
- ^ "OS Six inch England and Wales: Brecks XXVIII SW 1953". National Library of Scotland. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
- ^ a b c d Cadw. "Usk Bridge (Grade I) (6815)". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 13 July 2019.
- ^ a b Morrison, Mal (2013), Brecon Through Time, Amberley Publishing, pp. 39/40, ISBN 978-1-4456-2707-6, retrieved 29 December 2014
- ^ UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 7 May 2024.