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Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal Bridge Strengthens Its Ties With The Site Of Historic Castle

British Waterways is undertaking heritage repairs to historic Castle Bridge (Bridge 152), a 200 year old structure bridging the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal close to the site of ancient Pencelli Castle.

Pencelli Castle probably saw action as a front line fortification during a seven year war between the Norman armies which had overcome the English at Hastings and the independent Welsh kings. The war ended in 1099 with the Normans victorious and most of South Wales under their occupation. The castle changed hands a number of times before being taken back into crown custody in the early 14th century and began to fall into disrepair from then on. The ruins, just a few inches above foundation level, of the castle’s square keep are still visible, standing behind the 16th century manorhouse now part of the Pencelli Castle Caravan and Camping Park.

The site, although short on substance is rich in history and the specialist works are being carried out using traditional methods that will see the bridge sympathetically restored to its original condition.

At this point, the canal runs along the line of the castle moat, which formed part of the fortifications when the structure was built in the late eleventh century.

Waterways supervisor, Kevin Phillips said the castle and Elizabethan manour house have played a significant role in local history, being home to some of the most important families in the region.

“Because the canal follows the castle moat, the military histories of the two are closely linked. For example, the canal was used to transport weaponry to Newport for shipment on to European wars and we have found cannon balls in the canal,” said Kevin.

British Waterways heritage adviser, David Viner said the bridge formed an original part of the canal built between 1797 and 1812, to link Brecon with Newport and the Severn Estuary.

“Down the years, the stone canal wash walls running up to the bridge have been damaged and eroded, both by the impact of boats and the wash they generate,” said Mr Viner.

“The work will involve re-pointing the bridge abutments and rebuilding wash walls within the canal channel confines. The damaged sections will be reconstructed using stone recovered from the canal bed, although we may need to import some additional material from Llangors Quarry near Abergavenny,” he added.

“This section of the canal will be de-watered early in January, enabling us to rebuild the walls using hydraulic or Roman lime, which contains burned clay. This clay hardens the lime mortar relatively quickly, making it the most suitable lime mortar for winter repairs,” he added.

Work is scheduled to be completed by the end of February 2010.