The Old Bridge, Pontypridd

FEW bridges in this country have attracted so much attention and study as the Old Bridge at Pontypridd. Not only is it remarkable in itself, but it is rendered more so as a structure in that at the time of its construction very little was known about the
statics of the arch. Also it was the work of a self-taught mason, named William Edwards. Born at Eglwysilian, by the time he was sixteen he was known to be the best builder of dry walls within a wide area. While engaged in enclosing a field for a farmer about two miles from Caerphilly, he saw the foundations prepared for a blacksmith’s shed, and later on the mixing of mortar, a substance hitherto unknown to him. The sight inspired him to study the practices of the mason, and being commissioned to build a house and workshop for a friend the successful achievement thereof soon led to other building operations.

Captain F.W. Rees