Purton Viaduct

Purton Viaduct is a railway viaduct built around 1832 for the Purton Steam Carriage Road, which crosses the Etloe-Purton road. It is constructed from red sandstone rubble with dressed voussoirs and features three arches of diminishing heights. The main pier is wedge-shaped, causing the viaduct to be slightly angled, with the tallest arch spanning the road. The center arch is damaged on the northeast side. The southeast wall continues as a retaining wall for some distance and has a slightly curved return to the northeast. A portion of the parapet survives at the northwest end. This viaduct holds significant historical and industrial archaeological interest, as the Purton Steam Carriage Road was planned in 1830, coinciding with the first operation of the Stockton and Darlington Railway. Although the road was never completed, it influenced local politics and subsequent railway projects in the area. Funding was to be provided by Charles Mathias, a prominent local ironmaster from Lamphey Court, Pembrokeshire. The viaduct is the most tangible surviving evidence of an industrial scheme that would have included the first crossing of the Severn on a moveable bridge.