by David Collier
Legend has it that the bridge over the river Taff in Troedyrhiw is located at the place where Tydfil’s brother Rhun was killed, in around the year 480, by Saxon or British pagans or a band of marauding Picts. It is commonly accepted that, thereafter, bridges constructed on this spot have been known by names which mean ‘Rhun’s Bridge’. These include Pontyrhun, Pontrhun and Pont-y-Rhun.
There is, however, a less colourful explanation for the name of this bridge. In his book ‘Bridges of Merthyr Tydfil’ W. L. Davies states that this ancient site is “the most natural and only location for a bridge crossing below the meeting of the two Taffs at Cefn Coed-y-cymmer”. It is, therefore, possible that the name of this bridge is derived from it being the FIRST bridge in the lower valley as suggested by ‘Pont yr Un’ (roughly translatable as ‘bridge one’) as printed on at least one early map.
The first known record of a bridge at this spot dates from the 1540’s when it would have been made of wood. Later replacements were of a stone arch construction but, by 1857, a wrought iron structure was in place. Disaster struck on 15 December 1878 when the foundations on the west bank were washed away.
This bridge was reconstructed in 1880 and remained in place with regular repairs and strengthening until 1945 when plans were prepared for a new bridge which was then completed. By the 1960’s it was apparent that this bridge was inadequate for the amount of traffic that it then carried and so on 3 October 1965 it was closed for 13 weeks whilst a new bridge, that remains in use to this day, was erected.
This article has been transcribed from the Friends of Saron web-page, and is used here with the kind permission of David Collier. To see the original article please see: https://friendsofsaron.wordpress.com/2020/08/24/pontyrhun-bridge-troedyrhiw/