Conwy Suspension Bridge

Story

The Conwy Suspension Bridge is a Grade I-listed structure and is one of the first road suspension bridges in the world. Located in the medieval town of Conwy in Conwy county borough, North Wales, it is now only passable on foot. The bridge is now in the care of the National Trust. It originally carried the road from Chester to Bangor.HistoryBuilt by Thomas Telford, the 99.5m suspension bridge spans the River Conwy next to Conwy Castle, a World Heritage Site. The bridge was built in 1822–26 at a cost of £51,000 and replaced the ferry at the same point. It is in the same style as one of Telford's other bridges, the Menai Suspension Bridge crossing the Menai Strait. The original wooden deck was replaced by an iron roadway in the late nineteenth century and it was strengthened by adding wire cables above the original iron chains in 1903. The following year a 6ft walkway was added for pedestrian traffic. The bridge was superseded by a new road bridge built alongside in 1958 and is now only used as a footbridge. It has been owned by the National Trust since 1965.