Caernarfon’s old swing bridge was gas powered and wide enough …

Pont yr Aber has been a prominent fixture in Caernarfon since the turn of the 20th century. With the castle right behind it, it's been photographed countless times and has become a well-known feature of the town's waterfront.

It's particularly busy over the summer when you see Cofis and visitors crossing the bridge, often with an ice cream in their hand from the van that's seemingly always parked beside it. It's beloved in the town as it's often associated with the summer months, with people crossing it to go for long walks towards Y Foryd, or taking their kids to the park in Coed Helen.

Plans to close the bridge were met with fierce opposition back in 2015 ^[1] when hundreds took to the streets in protest. While it's allowed boats to enter and leave Afon Seiont for 123 years now, the swing bridge that's there today is very different to the one that opened on St David's Day 1900. That's because the original bridge was demolished back in 1969.

That bridge was powered by a gas engine and was made of metal with a wooden decking wide enough to let cars and coaches cross the Seiont. The original plan was for it to be painted white in order to protect it from heat absorption, but this was rejected over concerns it would have soon looked dirty.

The metal bridge had a wooden decking that was wide enough for cars to cross (Image: UGC)

It ended up being painted in an off-white colour and for a time, tolls were levied on pedestrians and carriages who wanted to cross it. The only remnants of the old bridge are its wooden supports.

The new swing bridge, made of concrete and steel, opened in 1970. It's powered by electricity instead of a gas engine. Now over 50-years-old, the 'new' bridge has closed several times in recent years due to various issues and faults.

The original swing bridge was powered by a gas engine (Image: UGC)

It was closed for four months ^[3] over the winter after mechanical faults were found with its cylinders and brackets. Complications with getting the bespoke parts as well as the cold weather ^[4] have led to several delays.

The bridge was closed again in June ^[5], this time for planned maintenance work. Caernarfon ^[6] Town Mayor Cai Larsen said at the time that the closure will hopefully be the last one for years to come.

References

^{^} fierce opposition back in 2015 (www.dailypost.co.uk)
^{^} Naked biker arrested for cycling Wales Coastal Path upset by nudity 'negativity' (www.dailypost.co.uk)
^{^} closed for four months (www.dailypost.co.uk)
^{^} weather (www.dailypost.co.uk)
^{^} closed again in June (www.dailypost.co.uk)
^{^} Caernarfon (www.dailypost.co.uk)
^{^} Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter (www.dailypost.co.uk)