Dulas Bridge spans Dulas Brook, a tributary of the River Wye in Hay-on-Wye, Powys, Wales. The Dulas bridge, near Hay station, was a joint counties bridge—Brecknock and Radnor. Those counties refused to widen the bridge to correspond with the improvements of the Local Board, and the chairman of the Local Board (F. R. Trumper, Esq.) undertook and succeeded in raising the money for doing the work by public subscription. The rebuild was completed in 1884.
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Preceding the rebuild, the bridge was partly of stone and partly of wood, which itself replaced a stone bridge of seven arches, destroyed by a flood in 1795, and some remains of which form part of the later structure. Toll was taken on this bridge under the authority of an act of parliament obtained in the 29th of George II., which granted that privilege for a term of 98 years, from the first day of August, 1763, at the expiration of which the bridge was to be tollfree.
Early history
There is no record of there having been a bridge over the River Wye at Hay, till past the middle of the 18th century. In remote times the inhabitants of the town and feudal lords of Hay Castle, most likely looked upon the Wye as a serviceable barrier against a sudden incursion of an enemy from that quarter; whilst for all legitimate purposes the coracle or the ford would give ample accommodation. But as the people of the district became more civilized, they would naturally desire a less primitive means of crossing the river; public subscriptions were invited, and as a result a large abutment wall and three piers were built, but then the work stopped for want of funds, but in the 29th year of the reign of George II., an act of parliament was obtained, appointing commissioners with powers to erect a bridge and to levy tolls for its maintenance. The following were the commissioners first appointed, viz.: Sir Edward Williams, Bart.; Thomas Beavan, of Court Evan Gwynn, George Devereux, Thomas Hughes, Esq.; Roger Jones, gent.; James Price, gent.; William Stephens, clerk; Henry Probert Howarth, clerk; John Jones, apothecary; Hugh Price, John Gwynn, Edward Allen, Henry Wellington, mercer; and Thomas Beavan, of the Court of Clyro. By authority of this act the commissioners entered into a covenant with Thomas Jones, of Llanthomas, John Harris, of Eardisley, and James Lloyd Harris of the town of Kington, for the erection of a bridge, and granting to them and their heirs a lease of the tolls arising therefrom for a period of 98 years, from the 1st of October, 1768, at the expiration of which term the bridge would revert to the trustees for the time being. The said Thomas Jones was to pay the expense of procuring the Act of Parliament, which cost £278 8s. 4d., and other things! The lessees built a stone bridge consisting of seven arches over the Wye, and made the approaches on both sides. In February, 1795, the centre part and south end of the bridge was washed away by a great flood, which happened after the breaking up of a long and severe frost. Two arches only were left standing on the Raduorshire side, or north side, of the river. Long before this period the three lessees were dead. After the flood and the falling down of the bridge, James Lloyd Harris (son of one of the lessees) erected a temporary bridge of wood across the river, and continued to receive the tolls. Within the following five years he erected a timber bridge from the Brecknockshire side of the river, to communicate with the two stone arches of the old stone bridge which had been left standing by the flood. This was in contravention to the lease, because a stone bridge should have been erected. In 1839, the Dulas Bridge was described as having one arch.
1884 rebuild
On the breaking up of a severe frost in the winter of 1854-5, a great part of the timber bridge was broken down by the ice, and all communication between the county of Radnor and the town of Hay was stopped. During the suspension of traffic a boat was put upon the river by the inhabitants of Hay and neighbourhood, a little above the fallen bridge, for the convenience of foot passengers. In 1861 the lease expired, and consequently the Commissioners were empowered to make what arrangements they liked. They found it necessary to rebuild the bridge,* but they had no remedy against the original lessees. They entered into negotiations with Mr. Thomas Savin (the contractor for the Hereford, Hay, and Brecon Railway), with the result that in 1862 he agreed with the Commissioners to rebuild the bridge in consideration of having the tolls assigned to him for 99 years. The present bridge was completed in 1865, and the Commissioners then granted a lease to Mr. Savin for 99 years. The lease dated from April 7, 1862. The lease was afterwards transferred to T. E. Williams (Peterchurch), William Farr (Dorstone), and John Andrew. A new site has recently been purchased for a toll-house by the Commissioners from the Midland Railway Company, and a toll-house erected thereon by the lessees. The present bridge, which cost between £7,000 and £8,000, was designed by W. E. Hughes, of London.