Canaston Bridge

Quality 0.50 · 1 view · Updated 2 months ago

Bridge in Pembrokeshire, Wales

title: "Canaston Bridge" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["villages-in-pembrokeshire", "roundabouts-in-the-united-kingdom"] description: "Bridge in Pembrokeshire, Wales" topic_path: "geography/united-kingdom" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canaston_Bridge" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Bridge in Pembrokeshire, Wales ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox UK place"]

Field	Value
country	Wales
coordinates
official_name	Canaston Bridge
unitary_wales	Pembrokeshire
constituency_westminster	Preseli Pembrokeshire
constituency_welsh_assembly	Preeli Pembrokeshire
::

| country = Wales | static_image = | static_image_caption = | coordinates = | official_name = Canaston Bridge | welsh_name = | population = | population_ref = | community_wales = | unitary_wales = Pembrokeshire | constituency_westminster = Preseli Pembrokeshire | constituency_welsh_assembly = Preeli Pembrokeshire | post_town = | postcode_district = | postcode_area = | dial_code = | os_grid_reference = | country = GBR | road_type = A | name = Canaston Bridge | other_names= Pont Canaston | image = | image_caption = | maint = South Wales Trunk Road Agent | location = Robeston Wathen, Pembrokeshire | coord = | roads = {{Flatlist|

A40
A4075
B4314 | type = Roundabout | const = | contractor = | opened = 2011 | height = | map = Canaston Bridge is the location in Pembrokeshire, southwest Wales where the A40 trunk road crosses the Eastern Cleddau. It is on the edge of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, 14 mi northeast of Pembroke, and close to Oakwood Theme Park and Blue Lagoon waterpark. It is about half a mile upstream of Blackpool Mill, at the normal tidal limit of the river.

Name

The origin of the name is obscure. Several properties use the name Canaston, as well as Canaston Wood.

Activity

A pumping station removes some 33 megalitres of water per day for Welsh Water. The river is monitored at Canaston Bridge for flood risk downstream. Hydrometric data at the bridge are kept by Natural Resources Wales.

Canaston Woods Walk, promoted by Pembrokeshire County Council, starts at Canaston Bridge.

History

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/57/Canaston_Bridge_-geograph.org.uk-_219192.jpg" caption="Bridge carrying the A40 in 2006 (A4075 beyond)"] ::

In 1914, the Royal Commission on Monuments published details of the bridge, with an illustration:

::quote

Canaston Bridge is on the border between the ancient parishes of Robeston Wathen and Slebech. It is marked on a 1578 parish map as Cannaston, with a bridge shown, but there was no recorded parish or settlement of that name. The Royal Commission recorded the name as a historic place name. Canaston Bridge is listed as a place name in the parish of Slebech and others, as it borders several.

Canaston Wood is a remnant of the mediaeval Narberth Forest, which was recorded in the early 12th century. The Manor of Canaston was recorded in the 14th century. Canaston Wood was mentioned as significant by George Owen in about 1600. Canaston Bridge itself is mediaeval, and is a Grade II listed structure. In 1635 there was a charcoal-fuelled blast furnace at Canaston Wood, the only known example of its period.

The Roads from Tavernspite Act 1828 (9 Geo. 4. c. cvi), which replaced the earlier Roads from Tavernspite (Pembrokeshire) Act 1808 (48 Geo. 3. c. cxxxix), exacted tolls on the roads around the bridge.

Up to the time that the Cleddau Bridge was opened in 1975, Canaston Bridge was the lowest bridging point on the river.

In 2009, when the Robeston Wathen bypass was being constructed (including a new bridge), Dyfed Archaeological Trust carried out an investigation close to the bridge. They discovered flint scattering (Mesolithic or Neolithic) and evidence of early metal working.

Wildlife

Swallows and martins nest between the girders beneath the A40 road.

References

"Bing.com".
"West Wales Rivers Trust: Canaston Bridge".
"NRW: National River Flow Archive".
{{Coflein
"Pembrokeshire County Council: Canaston Woods Walk".
(1914). "An Inventory of the Ancient Monuments in Wales".
"Penbrok comitat". British Library.
"GENUKI: Parish map (No.114)".
"RCAHMW: Canaston Bridge".
"GENUKI: Slebech".
"Dyfed Archaeological Trust: Canaston and Minwear Woods".
(1828). "United Kingdom Statutes 1828".
"Dyfed Archaeological Trust: Evaluation at Canaston Bridge".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::