Old Leckwith Bridge

Situated at the bottom of Leckwith Hill on the boundary between the Vale of Glamorgan and Cardiff is old Leckwith Bridge. This ancient triple-arched medieval stone built bridge, complete with triangular shaped recesses for pedestrians, has spanned the river Ely for over five hundred years, and has survived into the twenty first century remarkably intact. Old Leckwith Bridge is flanked by the 'new' Leckwith Bridge; this new bridge due to its size, somewhat over shadows old Leckwith bridge to the extent that many people are wholly unaware of its existence.

Old Leckwith Bridge has spanned the River Ely since the late medieval period with references being made to its existence as far back as the middle of the fifteenth century. Antiquarian John Leland mentioned Leckwith Bridge on his journey through south Wales in 1536. Repairs were made to Leckwith Bridge during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries testifying to its importance for commerce and the local community.

                                                   (Leckwith bridge as it is today)

Leckwith Bridge derives its name from the village of Leckwith which is located near the summit of Leckwith Hill. The village of Leckwith began its existence as a demesne manor during the late eleventh century-a possession of the first Norman lord of Glamorgan Robert Fitzhamon. It's likely that an earlier wooden built bridge once existed prior to the construction of the present old Leckwith Bridge, which would have been needed to help facilitate the transport of agrarian produce from the manor of Leckwith to Cardiff Castle.

 (A late nineteenth century view of Leckwith bridge when Leckwith and its surrounding area were still rural) 

The meandering road which ran through Leckwith Village and across Leckwith bridge was a busy one throughout the centuries. Horses, carts and their riders would have trundled their way through Leckwith from the many small ports which were dotted along the coastline of lower Glamorgan, crossed Leckwith Bridge, traversed their way through the lonely marshes of Canton Common and finally on to Cardiff, an arduous journey at the best of times.

During the eighteenth century it would appear that the responsibility for the repair and maintenance of not only Leckwith Bridge, but also the road which ran in both directions from it, was placed upon the inhabitants of the local community-a burden that they probably resented. In the year 1725 the inhabitants of Leckwith were nominated to repair the bridge and highway as ‘the causeway leading from Cardiff to Leckwith Bridge, from the south Leckwith Bridge to the stone bridge which divides the parishes of Llandaff and Leckwith to be out of repaire and ought to be repaired by the said inhabitants of Leckwith.’ 

(Photograph dating to the early twentieth century showing the old road running through Leckwith Village)

The construction of the docks at Cardiff and Penarth during the middle of the nineteenth century, and the subsequent urbanisation of the surrounding area saw a massive increase in the local population. By the early twentieth century the increased use of the motor car had by and large replaced older means of transport-thus the sound of clopping hoof-beats and the grinding of carts and carriages across Leckwith bridge became a thing of the past-being superseded by the revving of motor engines and the rumbling of heavy traffic. Old Leckwith Bridge could not cope with the increased volume of traffic and was eventually replaced with a new single arched concrete bridge in 1935. Old Leckwith Bridge despite being over five hundred years old is still in use for vehicles entering the nearby industrial estate. Leckwith bridge is a Grade II listed monument. 

Mark and Jonathan Lambert are archaeology graduates of Cardiff University and are published authors. They have been writing about and researching local history for the past 20 years and have a wealth of knowledge. All articles are original compositions - we hope you enjoy our content. Enquiries: hiddenglamorgan@outlook.com

©Jonathan and Mark Lambert 2018

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