Old Bridges of Snowdonia

• Old Bridges of Snowdonia
• ISBN: 9781845243944
• Des Marshall
• Publication: April 2021 Format: Paperback, 152x156 mm, 102 pages

Bridges have always been required to ease the passage of people and goods from the earliest of times. In this book are described stepping stones, suspension, clapper and stone-arched bridges. Many of them are very old and contribute greatly to the history of Snowdonia and enhance many views.

This is the latest in Gwasg Carreg Gwalchs Compact Cymru series, exploring various aspects of the landscape and culture of the Snowdonia National Park. The series is pleasantly designed in a chunky format which would fit in the glove compartment of a car or a coat pocket.

Old Bridges of Snowdonia is in fact a gazetteer, each entry provided with a map reference, one or more photographs, a description, and brief notes on relevant aspects of the history of the location. A drawing illustrates the key elements in a bridges construction, there is a useful glossary of technical terms, and a map.

Most of the bridges included here are from the eighteenth or nineteenth centuries, though some are earlier, and others perhaps undatable. When we think of a bridge, we usually think of a typical arched structure, and there are many of these in the book. There are other forms of construction, however, one of the most interesting being the clapper bridge, which consists of flat slabs of stone laid across square stone pillars a form of construction which Des Marshall suggests dates back to the Neolithic period. A fine example is Bont Newydd, Brithdir.

Bridges from the Roman and medieval periods are rare, medieval bridges being frequently made of wood, while other bridges may be renewed, widened, etc, at later periods.