438 TELFOKD'S ROADS IN WALES. PART VIII. 



The rugged nature of the country through which the 

 new road passed, along the slopes of rocky precipices 

 and across inlets of the sea, rendered it necessary to build 

 many bridges, to form many embankments, and cut away 

 long stretches of rock, in order to secure an easy and com- 

 modious route. The line of the valley of the Dee, to the 

 west of Llangollen, was selected, the road proceeding 

 along the scarped sides of the mountains, crossing from 

 point to point by lofty embankments where necessary ; 

 and, taking into account the character of the country, 

 it must be acknowledged that a wonderfully level road 

 was secured. Whilst the gradients on the old road had 

 in some cases been as steep as 1 in 6i, passing along 

 the edge of unprotected precipices, the new one was so 

 laid out as to be no more than 1 in 20 at any part, 

 while it was wide and well protected along its whole 

 extent. Mr. Telford pursued the same system that he 

 had adopted in the formation of the Carlisle and Glas- 

 gow road, as regards metalling, cross-draining, and 

 fence-walling ; for the latter purpose using schistus, or 

 slate rubble- work, instead of sandstone. The largest 

 bridges were of iron ; that at Bettws-y-Coed, over the 

 Conway called the Waterloo Bridge, constructed in 

 1815 being a very fine specimen of Telford's iron 

 bridge-work. 



Those parts of the road which had been the most 

 dangerous were taken in hand first, and, by the year 

 1819, the route had been rendered comparatively com- 

 modious and safe. Angles were cut off, the sides of 

 hills were blasted away, and several heavy embank- 

 ments run out across formidable arms of the sea. Thus, 

 at Stanley Sands, near Holyhead, an embankment was 

 formed 1300 yards long and 16 feet high, with a width 

 of 34 feet at the top, along which the road was laid. 

 Its breadth at the base was 114 feet, and both sides 

 were coated with rubble stones, as a protection against 

 storms. By the adoption of this expedient, a mile and 



