Forest of Dean Local History Society
OS Grid Reference: SO530002
The Wireworks bridge carried the Wireworks branch of the Wye Valley Railway over the River Wye to wireworks at Tintern. It has three truss-girder spans of 66 ft, with masonry piers and abutments, the latter pierced by flood arches. The length between abutments is about 213 ft. The bridge was designed by S.H. Yockney of Westminster and constructed by the Isca Foundry Co. of Newport. The contractors were Messrs Reed Bros. & Co. of London and the branch was completed in 1875, 14 months before the main WVR line. However, it saw relatively little use, and was derelict by the mid-1930s. Ownership eventually passed to the Gwent and Gloucestershire County Councils, and the bridge now provides public access from Tintern to the woods on the Gloucestershire side.