Old Bridge, Pontypridd

Old Bridge
Old Bridge (foreground) Victoria Bridge (background)
Coordinates	51°36′18″N 3°20′18″W / 51.604910°N 3.338220°W / 51.604910; -3.338220Coordinates: 51°36′18″N 3°20′18″W / 51.604910°N 3.338220°W / 51.604910; -3.338220
Carries	foot traffic
Crosses	River Taff
Locale	Pontypridd, Wales
Official name	William Edwards Bridge
Maintained by	Rhondda Cynon Taf
Heritage status	Scheduled monument
Characteristics
Design	Arch bridge
Width	11 ft (3 m)
Longest span	140 feet (43 m)
Clearance below	34 ft (10 m)
History
Designer	William Edwards
Construction begin	1746
Opened	1756
Collapsed	1748
Statistics
Toll	Free

The Old Bridge (Welsh: Yr Hen Bont), which is now also known as the William Edwards Bridge or Pontypridd Bridge, was originally known as the New Bridge or Newbridge, is an arched single-span footbridge that spans the River Taff at Pontypridd in Wales. The bridge was built by William Edwards and was completed in 1756. The bridge now has statutory protection as a scheduled ancient monument and is grade I listed.

In the early 18th century Pontypridd, then known as Pont-y-tŷ-pridd (The bridge of the earthen house), was a tiny hamlet. Pont-y-tŷ-pridd took its name from the original bridge of the same name, however very little is known of that ancient ford with stepping stones, which ran alongside the current Old Bridge, and was used only when the river ran low. Possibly in 1744 or after the bridge was built, Pont-y-tŷ-pridd became known as Newbridge or New Bridge after the William Edwards Bridge. By 1856, Newbridge had been renamed Pontypridd.

In 1746 when William Edwards was just 27 years of age, he was commissioned by the Hundreds of Miskin and Caerphilly to build a three-arch bridge across the River Taff. For this he was paid GB£500, on condition that he would maintain it for seven years.

The first bridge to be constructed was a three-arch stone bridge, which was built in 1746. It was destroyed by a heavy storm which caused the River Taff to flood about two years later. A large amount of debris came down the river, which then become trapped against the two abutments supporting the bridge. The weight and force of the debris ultimately destroyed the bridge, which was then swept away down the river.

After the destruction of the first bridge over the fast-flowing River Taff, Edwards designed a more radical 140 ft (43 m) single-arch bridge that would eliminate the possibility of debris destroying the bridge due to the flooding of the River Taff. The second bridge was built from 1748, however two reports differ as to what actually happened during this second attempt. Thomas Morgan, a contemporary of Edwards, said that "…when he (Edwards) had almost finished the arch, the centre timber work gave way and all fell to the bottom." However, The National Library of Wales has a contemporary work known as the Plasybrain manuscript which says, "Just after the first single arch was finished and before the centre was struck, a flood came and carried all away." It is not clear which account is accurate, however it is clear that Edwards' latest attempt to build a bridge across the River Taff had failed.