History

Built as part of a branch line by the Port Talbot Railway and Docks Co. to link the docks with the coal producing areas to the N. The viaduct crosses the Afan valley, beyond which the line joined the South Wales Mineral Railway. It was constructed in 1897-8 by the contractors Topham, Jones and Railton, and was absorbed soon afterwards by the GWR. It closed in 1964.

Exterior

Ten-arch railway viaduct of red brick, curving round slightly towards the NW. Tall round arches on narrow splayed piers, the arches consisting of 6 rows of headers on edge. Short abutments at either end. Blue brick string course and red brick parapets with corbelled refuges rising from the spandrels of the arches. The coping is generally of blue bricks on end, replaced in concrete in some areas. The flat deck is now a path and the refuges have been infilled with blue brick with concrete coping. At each end of the deck are pairs of short piers marking the abutments. These and the areas between have massive rock-faced capstones.

Reasons for Listing

Listed as a largely unaltered viaduct of architectural merit which is highly visible and imparts considerable character to the area. The association with Port Talbot docks is of additional historic interest. Group value with Bont Fawr aqueduct.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Wikidata Q29500179

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

• 
  Huddersfield in 50 Buildings
• 
  [(Shropshire)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1958)
• 
  Suffolk: West: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Gloucestershire 2: The Vale and The Forest of Dean: Vale and Forest of Dean Pt. 2 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Gwent/Monmouthshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Wales)
• 
  [(Cumberland and Westmorland)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1967)