The Refurbishment of Llangollen Chainbridge

The refurbishment of Llangollen Chainbridge, a historic suspension bridge over the River Dee, successfully reintegrated its original wrought iron chain links after a 30-year closure due to safety concerns. This restoration, costing £345,000 and executed by Ramboll (design) and Shemec Ltd., involved meticulous dismantling, labeling, and reassembly of each metal component, preserving the bridge's original structure. The refurbished bridge now reconnects the Llangollen railway with the Llangollen canal, a key part of the Pontcysyllte World Heritage site, while potentially boosting local tourism. Notably, the bridge retains the world's oldest known wrought iron chain links, originally installed in 1817 and rebuilt in 1870s and 1928 post-flooding.

Marginson, A. P., & Matthews, L. F. (2017). The Refurbishment of Llangollen Chainbridge. Footbridge 2017 Berlin - Tell A Story: Conference Proceedings 6-8.9.2017 TU-Berlin. https://doi.org/10.24904/footbridge2017.09278