CHAP. VI. 



PROPOSED BRIDGE AT MENAT. 



175 



proposed, in lieu of the old structure, which had been 

 carried away by a flood, a new one of a single arch, of 

 150 feet span; but unhappily the road trustees could 

 not find the requisite means for carrying it into effect. 

 Another abortive but grand design was proposed by 

 him in 1801. He had been requested by the Secretary 

 of State for Ireland to examine the road through North 

 Wales to Holyhead, with the object of improving the 

 communication with Ireland, which was then in a 

 wretched state. The connection of the opposite shores 

 of the Menai Strait by means of a bridge was con- 

 sidered an indispensable part of any improvement of 

 that route ; and Mr. Rennie proposed to accomplish this 

 object by a single great arch of cast-iron 450 feet in 

 span, the height of its soffit or crown to be 150 feet 

 above high water at spring tides. 1 A similar bridge, 

 of 350 feet span, having its crown 100 feet above the 

 same level, was also proposed by him for the crossing 

 of Con way Ferry. These bridges were to be manu- 

 factured after a plan invented by Mr. Rennie in 1791, 

 and communicated by him to Dr. Hutton in 1794; 

 and he was strongly satisfied of its superiority to all 

 others that had been proposed. The designs were alike 



1 The great arch of 450 feet was to 

 be supported on two stone piers, each 

 75 feet thick, the springing to be 100 

 feet above high water. There were to 

 be arches of stone on the Caernarvon 

 side to the distance of about 156 

 yards, and on the Anglesea side to 

 the distance of about 284 yards ; 

 making the total length of the bridge, 

 exclusive of the wing walls, about 

 640 yards. The estimated cost of 

 the whole work and approaches was 

 268,500Z. The point at which the 

 bridge was recommended to be thrown 

 across was, either opposite Inys-y- 

 Moch island, on which one of the 

 main piers would rest, or at the 

 Swilly rocks, about 800 yards to the 

 eastward ; but, on the whole, he pre- 

 ferred the latter site. He also sent 



in a subsequent design, showing an 

 iron arch on each side of the main 

 one of 350 feet span, in lieu of ma- 

 sonry, with other modifications, by 

 which the dimensions of the main 

 piers were reduced, and the estimate 

 somewhat lessened. Other plans were 

 prepared and submitted, embodying 

 somewhat similar views, the promi- 

 nent idea in all of them being the 

 spanning of the strait by a great cast- 

 iron arch, the crown of which was to 

 be 150 feet above the sea at high- 

 water. The plans and evidence on 

 the subject are to be found set forth 

 in the 'Reports from Committees of 

 the House of Commons on Holyhead 

 Roads' (1810-22), ordered to be 

 printed 25th July, 1822. 



