Places - Lost in Time: Crumlin Viaduct

Hello, and welcome back to Places - Lost in Time, a series that looks back on the tale of places and locations that have existing within living memory or photographic record, but are now lost to the pages of history.

This week we travel to South Wales, where, in the small valley coal town of Crumlin, this otherwise inconspicuous settlement once played host to the highest railway viaduct in the British Isles, with the Crumlin Viaduct passing across the Ebbw Vale being a mammoth example of lightweight but sturdy Victorian engineering, with its steel girder and partial masonry construction presenting a structure that was delivered in record time and with huge cost savings, but with no sacrifice of structural rigidity, only for this magnificent bridge to fall victim to the endemically harsh environment of its surroundings, combined with the route it was built to serve losing relevance as railways gave way to roads, and coal gave way to oil.

Special thanks to South Wales Valleys for allowing me the use of several historic clips of the Crumlin Viaduct during its final years of use, and I thoroughly recommend visiting their channel to get some superb glimpses not only into the history of the viaduct itself, but also the railway and mining history of South Wales in general.

The views and opinions expressed in this video are my personal appraisal and are not the views and opinions of any of these individuals or bodies who have kindly supplied me with footage and images.

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Thanks again, everyone, and enjoy! :D

References:

- The Victorian Web (and their respective references)
- Crumlin Viaduct (and their respective references)
- Caerphilly County Borough council (and their respective references)
- Wikipedia (and its respective references)

[kevatcrewe]

Can I take a minute to say this channel is epic, please keep it going, I love the way you never quite know what the next upload will be focused on, it always makes my day and never dissapoints whatever the subject is!

[gc]

As a miner my grandfather (fathers side) was in a reserved occupation during WW2 but joined the home guard and had to patrol across crumlin viaduct at nights when he was on homeguard duty. My later to be grandmother in order to get a ‘date’ with him used to spend a few hours on such an evening walking across it arm in arm with him - probably not strictly within the army regulations.

[luvparc]

So cool to watch a mini doc on a place you pass through everyday, something very unexpected! I'm only 28 so I never got to experience it standing but I've stood at the one side of where it would've stopped and it is such an epic view across to the other side, would've been great to cross over it!

[macjim]

It’s sad they didn’t keep the first pier as a memorial to the bridge and railway line rather remove everything but that’s hindsight for you.
I noted the use of destruction in your commentary rather than demolition… very apt.

[chrismackey]

My cousin, David, was a Bevin Boy working in the Oakdale Colliery, Blackwood, and ran a football team that played home games nearby the Crumlin Viaduct. As a teenager I began work as a surveyor with Ordnance Survey who were remapping the coal mining areas of South Wales. I was based in Pontypridd in the late 50's, early 60's and it was a long trek home to Torquay via the Aust Ferry or round Gloucester so I would visit David at weekends. I played quite a number of games with his team, and always, as a railway buff, found it a thrill, and even a bit scary I must admit, playing nearly beneath that structure while trains were still passing over it. We used to meet in a cafe before matches and play the flipper machines while drinking coffee. Evenings were spent in Blackwood at the cinema where the tickets cost about 9d or 1/- which was so cheap compared with Torbay at the time.
This video brought back brilliant memories of those days.

[johntucker]

I recall travelling over this viaduct when going to Pontypool from Mountain Ash.

[Tobeshadow]

Superb film! My father grew up in the shadow of this beauty. We have pictures he took on his Box Brownie when Gregory Peck and Sophia Loren came to film Arabesque. A wonderful structure and a crime that it was lost!

[limeyfox]

Really good video! One minor note on Welsh pronunciation, if it’s spelt ‘goed’ it’s spoken ‘goyd’ - therefore Hengoed and Bargoed are pronounced ‘Hen-goyd’ and ‘Bar-goyd’ etc.

[petergibbs]

My father was based at Pontypool just after the war on the GWR/Western region as a fireman and always spoke with a smile when he mentioned the Crumlin viaduct.

[Ryan-]

Being from nearby Caerphilly and having to visit Crumlin countless times over the years this was a nice surprise to see on your channel. Great quality video as always. ☺️👍

[jasongray]

Amazing to see a local lost landmark covered.

[Olleetheowl]

I live at Ilkeston, Derbyshire. We have our own still standing viaduct.built almost identically. Although only 60 ft high. It is 1/4 Mile long and called “Bennerley Viaduct”. Many videos on You Tube. And well worth a look

[Brommear]

Nice video! I just love the steam era with Brunel being my favourite. I live in Chile and the 335ft high Malleco viaduct, constructed in the 1890s, is still in use!
Thank you also for not putting music on a documentary video!

[macjim]

While building the bridge out of iron reduced the cost, it wasn’t a guarantee of strength as we have seen in the past.
Crossing a valley, especially as deep as this one, brought its own problems.
There’s the remains of an iron bridge in the USA which was blown down in a gale (worth covering, the Kinzua Bridge) and, for another example, the Tay Bridge Mk 1.

[flippop]

Once again, quality YouTube viewing. Thank you for another superb video.

[e]

Excellent documentary, as usual. Thanks.

[Dave_Sisson]

It looks a lot like the Taradale Viaduct in Victoria. Australia. It was also built in the 1850s and still carries a main line today. It has its own Wikipedia page.

[johncunnane]

marvelous viaduct, explained by a marvelous video, thanks Ruairidh

[pacz]

Thank you. I've learnt a great deal.

[usmale]

Great video! I would have liked to see it, but since its demise, that will not be possible. Thank you for creating, uploading and sharing!!