Old Wye Bridge Chepstow - Old books to read online (General)

by Jefff , West London, Middlesex, Thursday, March 20, 2014, 19:22 (3902 days ago) @ Jefff

Re the aforementioned Internet Archive online books website, searching it again for just "Chepstow" gave nine hits, one being "The Stranger's Illustrated Guide to Chepstow and It's Neighbourhood" from 1843, so some years after the current iron bridge was built. [This site enables the books to be seen and read as pdf photo images, or in plain text form, or whatever best suits the user, some of these can be word-searched. It seems as if that site is best read in it's own, new, window rather than from directly within this FoD site]. This book includes the following mention of the wooden bridge, pages 5 & 6;

"One cannot help being struck with the beauty and
strength of the new five-arched iron bridge, which here crosses
the Wye, erected a.d. 1816 ; formerly there was an ancient wooden
structure built, it would seem, in resemblance to the military
erections of Rome, in the days of the Caesars, which must have
been very consonant with its antique companion — the Castle; and
must have appeared altogether very rustic and picturesque.

But it was insufficient for business, and liable to be carried away
by floods, as may be seen by the following anecdote :

"Previous to the erection of the present bridge at Chepstow, it was
at times very dangerous crossing, because the planks which formed
the flooring rose and fell with the tide. On one occasion (after
some damage sustained by inundation) it was necessary to remove the
flooring, and only one or two of the planks remained for the
convenience of foot passengers. The place was well lighted, and a man
stationed to warn passengers of their danger ; but one night it proved
stormy, the lights were blown out! and the watchman conceding that no
one would attempt to cross, retired to shelter. After midnight, however,
a traveller, on horseback, was heard knocking at the door of an inn
near the bridge, affirming that he had just crossed. The landlord said
that it was impossible; but, as he knew the traveller, he opened his door.
The host could not credit the story told by the guest as to his crossing
the bridge, and the next morning showed him the plank that his horse must
have passed over, at the same time pointing to the raging torrent beneath.
The traveller was so struck with the danger to which he had so unknowingly
been exposed, that he was seized with an illness, from which he did not
speedily recover." — Willett.

It appears that this book, like this anecdote, were written by Mark Willett; perhaps the anecdote came from his earlier book "An Excursion From the Source of The Wye" first published 1810, modern reproductions are still available.

https://archive.org/stream/strangersillust01chepgoog#page/n8/mode/2up

The fact it mentions "the flooring rises and falls with the tide", alongwith a mention of those great engineers the Romans, suggests to me the wooden bridge may possibly have been a floating pontoon bridge, moored to the banks by ropes. Such bridges had been used by the Roman army's engineers, and seem well-suited to the difficult task of c18th engineers trying to bridge a river with a massive tidal range and associated strong curents.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Roman_bridges#Pontoon_bridges

??

UPDATE !
Actually NO, a pontoon wouldn't be at all practical for such a massive range (I've just realised it's upto 14 metres, second highest in the world!) unless it had many men on windlasses adjusting the mooring ropes, could be done by an organised army but not on a daily basis. Sorry for the moment of madness !!.