Usk Bridge (Pont-Yr-Wysg) in Brecon is the town's oldest route over the River Usk. 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 and replaced an earlier bridge that was washed away in the floods of 1535. It was widened in 1794 by bridge builder Thomas Edwards.

During the 20th century it was widened further with the addition of metal framed footpaths on either side. 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.

References:

Comments

Your name



Details

Founded: 1563
Category: Miscellaneous historic sites in United Kingdom

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

User Reviews

Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

Bengtskär Lighthouse

Towering 52 meters above the sea, Bengtskär lighthouse is the tallest one in Scandinavia. The building started in in 1905 after the shipwreck of S/S Helsingfors and was completed in 1906. The lighthouse was designed by architect Florentin Granholm. On December a special petrol lantern, designed and built in Paris, was brought to Bengtskär and installed atop the tower.

German fleet bombarded Bengstkär in the First World War in 1914. Since the Gulf of Finland was heavily mined, it was not until 1919 that the surrounding seas were declared safe for shipping, that the light was lit again.

After the war the military value of Bengtskär increased as part of the defence system of independent Finland. In Second World War (1941) Soviet Union made a suprise attack to island. After a bloody battle, the small Finnish garrison emerged victorious. Intermittent repairs to the facility continued during the post-war period.