Welsh Engineering and A Guinness World Record
GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS
The World’s Oldest Suspension Bridge And The Welsh Link
On 26th July 2020 an event was planned to commemorate the bicentenary of the Union Chain Bridge, including the unveiling of an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark plaque by the American Society of Civil Engineers, Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), and Japan Society of Civil Engineers, for the 200 year-old Union Chain Bridge at Berwick-upon-Tweed. Prior to this the bridge was to undergo a major restoration, the plaque to be cast in the USA and a special anniversary booklet prepared. Whilst work on the bridge had been delayed, it was not going to upset the celebrations but of course the event was upset, like normal everyday life, by COVID – 19.
In 1820 Union Chain Bridge united England and Scotland by spanning the Tweed with Welsh iron, iron chain links made in Newbridge, Pontypridd. The works that made the chains, Brown Lenox, used to be a prominent sight along the A470 through Pontypridd up to closure in 1999 and now is Sainsburys. Founded by Captain Sir Samuel Brown, it was opened in 1818 for the manufacture of maritime iron chain cables and Brown decided to manufacture a new line here, that of iron chain suspension bridges. In this field he was the first in Britain to erect iron suspension bridges for road traffic following James Finley’s lead in erecting the first bridge of this type in America in 1801. Newburyport in Massachusetts was the last surviving Finley designed bridge. But it is akin to Trigger’s broom or Washington’s axe, in that the road deck, chains and towers have been replaced, only the abutments remain to support what is a bridge of 1910 date. Union had beaten Telford’s Menai and Conway suspension bridges to opening by six years, so with its original chain, ironwork and masonry towers it can now claim to be the world’s oldest suspension bridge still open to traffic, although it is temporarily closed for restoration work at present!
So with the disappointment of a once in two hundred year celebration being cancelled, it was suggested by Chris Baglee, the conservation architect for the bridge restoration, that we get the Union Chain Bridge accepted by the Guinness World Records as the World’s oldest suspension bridge still carrying vehicles. I’ve just contributed a list of qualifications to support this and the nomination appears to have been accepted – so some 
compensation. Luckily we (ICE Wales Cymru) had celebrated the establishment of the Brown Lenox Chainworks and the bicentenary of start of work on the Union Chain Bridge at Pontypridd on 26 July 2019. The Friends of the Union Chain Bridge also unveiled a plaque on the same day to commemorate the start of work at Horncliffe near Berwick-upon-Tweed, where the bridge crosses from England over the river Tweed to Scotland – England and Scotland united by Welsh iron.
Stephen K. Jones