Devil’s Bridge has been a tourist attraction for over 100 years. When people first started to visit Devil’s Bridge, it was a destination for the more adventurous who wanted to see ‘Wild West Wales’; from Aberystwyth they could catch the ‘coach’ up to Devil’s Bridge and explore the rugged landscape. The paths were dangerous with not much in the way of hand rails, and at that time the ladies would have been dressed in heavy long skirts and tightly fitted shirts and worn boots with very little grip.
Devil’s Bridge is also called ‘Pontarfynach’ which is the Welsh name for the village. It is not a direct translation; more of the opposite actually! Pont means bridge but Fynach changes to Mynach which means Monk. It’s thought that the first or lowest of the three bridges was actually built by the Monks of Strata Florida in the 12th century, to help ease their efforts in travelling to the Abbey in Pontrhyfendigaid some 9 miles away. The second bridge was built in 1753 and the current bridge, which sits on the other two, was built in 1901. It is a testament to the builders of all three bridges that they still serve to carry traffic to this day.
The English name Devil’s Bridge was probably first used when Thomas Johnes, owner of the Hafod Estate, started enticing visitors to his new hunting lodge, the design of which was inspired by the chalet-type architecture he had seen whilst visiting Switzerland. The hunting lodge, built in 1790 with its Alpine-style roof, was slowly developed and improved, and in the 1860’s the Hafod Hotel and coach houses were built as we see them today. There is a Swiss legend of the devil building a bridge so a lost goat can safely cross the ravine; this is similar to the legend of Devil’s Bridge, where the devil built the Bridge so an old lady can get her cow back!
The Bridges
It is unclear when the first bridge was built but it’s been recorded that there was a bridge at this narrow point in the gorge since the Medieval times,11th Century; it was probably made of wood and quite basic. The more complicated stone bridge is likely to have been built in the 12th Century by the Cistercian monks of Strata Florida Abbey, 9 miles away, to ease the journey for visiting monks and distinguished guests.
In 1708 a second slightly wider bridge was built over the first bridge. This helped minimise the slope in the muddy road and helped with access for larger ox or horse drawn carts.
In 1753 the second bridge was repaired.
In 1814 beautiful iron parapets were added to the middle bridge and more visitors were appearing in Devil’s Bridge to see the waterfalls and the unique two bridges built one on top of the other. The newer improved hotel opened in 1815 to accommodate the tourists.
Once more the original bridges became inadequate for the traffic on the route between North and South Wales and from the Midlands; so in 1901 the top bridge was built.
Then in 1982 the steel girders were added and the road was again reinforced to accommodate todays heavy lorries and traffic. The Victoria dark Green ornate Railings were replaced by Grey similar but more modern railings.
Devil’s Bridge has been a popular tourist attraction since Victorian times. If you have a few minutes, you can listen to more about this:
English:
Cymraeg: