Britannia Bridge

The Britannia Bridge is a double-carriageway bridge built with large blocks of squared local stone arranged in regular courses. The original construction is most visible on the north side, featuring segmental arches made of freestone voussoirs with recessed keystones. The bridge has prominent rounded cutwaters that include slots for tidal gates, and above these are shallow buttresses that rise to a raised band at the base of the parapet. The parapet over the river, which dates from the 20th century, is made of coursed slate-stone. The original parapet, which is lower and curves out to round terminal piers, has survived above the abutments; on the east side, it abuts Bridge Cottage. On the south side, facing the harbour, the bridge has been extended by widening the deck to create a footway supported by the cutwaters, which also retain slots for tidal gates. The 20th-century parapet on this side is similar to that on the north side.