The Old Bridge

When William Edwards completed his bridge in 1756 it soon became famous, both because of the story of its construction and the unprecedented length of its span.

Edwards was contracted to the Glamorgan County Court in 1751 to build a stone bridge to replace a derelict wooden bridge over the Taff. He built a three-arched bridge, which was soon swept away by a flood. He then made two unsuccessful attempts to span the river with one arch before completing the present bridge in 1756. The story of the perseverance and eventual success of the self-taught stonemason and minister at Groeswen was soon told in prose and verse.
Comparisons were made with other stone bridges, and Edwards's bridge with its 140 feet arch became famous as the first in Europe to exceed the span of the Rialto in Venice.
The bridge attracted the attention of a new generation of landscape artists, and there are paintings, sketches and engravings by many famous artists including Richard Wilson and JMW Turner. The bridge also appears on Swansea and Nantgarw china.
William Edwards went on to build more than 10 other bridges, three of which survive, at Dolauhirion near Llandovery, Tredunnock and Usk.
His masterpiece at Pontypridd is now a Scheduled Ancient Monument.