Hawarden Bridge, (also listed in Shotton rec no 84399)

Hawarden Bridge is a 3-span bow-string girder bridge built with 2 fixed spans and a longer swing-span to the north. It stands on large cylindrical iron piers that are faced in local brick. Although the swing-span is no longer operational, it was designed to open around a central pier, which still contains machinery including pulleys and chains at its top. The bridge was originally operated hydraulically, but the small engine house that powered it is no longer present. It could open in 40 seconds to a width of 140 feet.

The bow-profile arches are constructed from riveted I-section iron beams, featuring vertical and raked struts along with some cross-pieces. The swing-span struts have pierced ovals, likely intended to reduce weight. Cross-beams connect the tops of the arches. The bridge has a flat deck, with the soffit supported by four additional girders positioned between the bow-string girders. It is anchored on substantial brick abutments with concrete copings, and the northern abutment includes a strengthening arch adorned with several orders of mouldings.

Beneath the center of the swing-span and at its southern end are large cylindrical piers, while the two fixed spans are supported on twin piers that are separated by an arch. Long timber jetties extend to the east and west of the cylindrical piers, serving partly as cut-waters and also providing access and support for the swing mechanism. To the northwest, in the water, there is a remnant of a curved gantry on iron piers, which may have been used to support the span when it opened.

At the southern end of the bridge, there is a more traditional 7-span brick section that provides flood arches over the banks of the River Dee. This section features segmental brick arches, a string course along the parapets with snecked stone coping, and is divided by a corbelled brick buttress. There are walkways on each side of the bridge; the western walkway retains its original plain metal railings, while the eastern side has been widened around 2000 to create a cycleway.