With a length of approximately seven miles (11 km), it was engineered by John Hodgkinson as a 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) gauge plateway, and was horse drawn throughout.

3. c. cvii) received royal assent on 20 May 1812,[1] construction started in 1817[2] and the line opened in 1819.

In 1829 the Hereford Railway was completed with an end-on connection with the Grosmont Railway at Monmouth Cap and extending the line to Wye Bridge at Hereford.

The new company replaced the combined tramroads with a standard-gauge steam railway.

At Werngifford a major remnant survives in the form of a 360m length of tramroad embankment with stone sleepers in situ.