Puppy Green Aqueduct - BCN

Puppy Green Aqueduct
BCN New Mainline

Just a stone's throw north of the Ryland Aqueduct a second, much smaller but older aqueduct burrows under the BCN New Main Line.

This aqueduct carries Park Lane East from Tipton to Dudley Port.

Ryland Aqueduct

Ryland Aqueduct
BCN New Mainline

The Ryland Aqueduct is a relatively new structure, carrying the New Mainline Canal over the Dudley Port Road at Dudley Port.

Ryland Aqueduct - West face

The aqueduct stands independent (just) from the parallel railway bridge, decked out in some splendid paintwork which makes it appear more than the simple contrete trough it really is.

Ryland Aqueduct - east face

Clifton Aqueduct

Clifton Aqueduct

Manchester Bolton and Bury Canal

One of three aqueducts built on the Manchester Bolton and Bury canal by Charles Roberts and John Nightingale in 1796.

http://www.salford.gov.uk/clifton-aqueduct-05-d71-web2.jpg

This stone structure with it's three brick arches represents a second crossing of the River Irwell for the canal, and is now a grade 2 listed monument. Like its counterpart, the Prestolee Aqueduct, this structure stand patiently waiting for the ongoing restoration project to reach it and return boats to it's navigation channel.

Congleton Aqueduct

Congleton Aqueduct
Macclesfield

This Aqueduct represents the third of a trio which were designed by Thomas Telford and, on this occasion, constructed by William Crosley on or before the canal opened in 1831.

You will find the others at Nantwich and Stretton on the Shropshire Union and all feature extensive use of cast iron as a channel supported on cast iron rib arches, set onto some rather splendid curving butress walls.

Take a look at the others and you will see the family resemblance, with Nantwich being the first built  in 1826 and Stretton the last in 1832.

I can't take credit for this photo, that goes to Adam of nb Debdale, who kindly allowed my to use it. Cheers Adam.

Spring Coppice Aqueduct at Shelmore Embankment

Spring Coppice Aqueduct at Shelmore embankment

Shropshire Union

For those in doubt, the Shelmore Embankment is the long high embankment immediately to the south of Norbury Junction. It's not the embankment which breached in August 2009 - that one is the equally impressive Shebdon Embakment a few miles to the north. I mention this only  because I get the two muddled up!

Spring Coppice Aqueduct - west

The Shelmore Embankment has two aqueducts, one at each end. I have no idea what the southern one is called locally, but as it lies next to Spring Coppice I have assumed that the aqueduct bears the same name.

Spring Coppice Aqueduct - east

It's a quality structure, with a lofty barrel arch and dressed stone portals. The aqueduct carries a busy but narrow country lane and can be easily  found if you listen out for regular car horn tooting, as vehicles approach it's blind entrances. Mooring to take a look as this structure is problematic, given the incredibly shallow margins in the area. The only realistic way of stopping is to hover in the narrows which contains the flood control gate, and hope no other boats arrive.  I was lucky - I had the place to myself but was amused to see a narrowboat steam round the corner from Norbury just as I got underway again!

Prestolee Aqueduct

Prestolee Aqueduct
Manchester Bolton and Bury Canal

This is one of two surviving aqueducts on the Manchester Bolton and Bury Canal, built in the late 1790's to cross the River Irwell.

The structure is built of stone and its four spans extend for 185 ft, carrying a broad 16ft 6in wide water channel. This is now a listed monument (Grade 2) and is patiently awaiting reconnection to the main system.

Moat Brook Aqueduct at Pendeford Bridge

Moat Brook Aqueduct at Pendeford Bridge
Shropshire Union

Whilst the Moat Brook is technically a tributary of the Penk, at the point it crosses the line of the Shropshire Union Canal it is a much more significant watercourse, demanding a far more substantial aqueduct.

Pendeford Bridge Aqueduct

In contrast to it's disappointing southerly neighbour, this aqueduct is much more dramatic, with a well constructed archway and dressed stone portals.

Wheaton Aston Aqueduct

Wheaton Aston Aqueduct
Shropshire Union

Just below Wheaton Aston's solitary lock and just before the BW service block, the Whiston Brook makes its way under the Shropshire Union Canal via a substantial brick archway. This is a pretty normal aqueduct structure for the Shropshire Union.

Wheaton Aston Aqueduct

If you didn't know it was there you would never even notice it.

Ryehill Aqueduct

Ryehill Aqueduct

Shropshire Union

Aqueduct hunting sometimes throws up surprises, and this is one of them. The Ryehill Aqueduct (if that is what is is called) is a mystery structure, which is overlooked by both Pearson and GeoMaps - which is very strange given the latter's attention to detail.

Ryehill Aqueduct west portal

Sure, the both recognise the passage of Marston Brook further south under the Wheaton Aston Embankment, but neither feature this most illuminating structure.

Ryehill Aqueduct, central channel profile

The Ryehill Aqueduct carries a disused access track under the northerly end on the Wheaton Aston Embankment via ha high vaulted archway. The really interesting feature it that within the tunnel the profile of the canal bed is visible in inch thick cast iron. I had always attributed the shallow sloping margins of the Shropshire Union to recent leak control measures, but this cast iron section suggests that the saucer shaped profile is original, and was therefore part of Telford's design.

Ryehill Aqueduct, eastern portal

And the overhead channel isn't the only mystery the aqueduct presents. Pinned high along its sides are chunky electrical cables, now disconnected and sagging down. Why have such a substantial power supply in the middle of nowhere? The answer probably lies in the brick structures in the adjacent fields, the remains of a world war two airfield. I assume that the tunnel and aqueduct served to connect two parts of the aerodrome, which was also the likely target of the bombers which hit a narrowboat in Wheaton Aston lock carrying unsheeted aluminium at night.

The question is: Which came first, the aqueduct or the airfield?

Who says that local history is boring!

Damside Aqueduct

Damside Aqueduct
Manchester Bolton and Bury Canal

The Damside Aqueduct is the missing structure on the Manchester Bolton and Bury Canal, demolished in 1965 for a road and river crossing at Darcy Lever.

http://www.mbbcs.org.uk/gallery/pages/14.damside-air.htm

I can only find this arial shot of the aqueduct, which will have to be rebuilt if the full canal restoration is ever to take place.

Norbury Aqueduct

Norbury Aqueduct

Shropshire Union

I knew that there was an aqueduct at Norbury cos the good book told me so.... but for the life of me I couldnt see it!

I wandered round the junction, peering down the embankment behind the BW office but nothing, not a stream, a road not even a footpath. I was on the point of giving up wen I saw a display board near the entrance to the marina, tracing out a local walk and there it was, about half a mile off to the south.

Norbury Aqueduct west

Well, I had tied up and was in no hurry so I wandered off down the lanes and finally came across it, and a very fine structure it is too, with impressive portals and a high barrel vaulted roof. As it pierces the foot of a very high embankment the tunnel is surprisingly long and so narrow that you wouldn't want to try walking through at the same time as an oncoming tractor.

Norbury Aqueduct, east

Rather than retrace my steps I decided to scale the embankment and return via the towpath - easier said than done. The embankment is on the very edge of what is climbable without crampons, and even then it was only by using all fours from time to time, plus bits of ivy, low hanging branches and sundry weeds.

However, its a good aqueduct and well worth the effort.

River Penk Aquecuct at Pendeford

River Penk Aqueduct at Pendeford

Shropshire Union

The Penk is a significant river, one of four the Staffs and Worcester canal follows along its east west route. You would therefore expect the Shropshire Union's crossing to be a significant event, but in reality the river is so near it's source at Wergs that the resulting aqueduct is exceedingly humble.

River Penk Aqueduct at Pendeford

The watercourse passes through two very modest box culverts immediately to the south of Wolverhampton Boat Club at Pendeford, and were it not for the detail available on the Shropshire Union GeoMap you could very easily overlook it's presence altogether.

Moat House Bridge Sump Aqueduct

Moat House Bridge Sump Aqueduct

Staffs and Worcester

I am developing quite an affection for the humble sump aqueduct.

It had never really occurred to me that crossing a watercourse which flows neither above nor below the level of a canal would cause a problem, but it does. What do you do if the surface level of the stream is below the surface level of the canal, but above the level of the canal bed?

Moat House Bridge sump aqueduct

The answer has to be to force the water down a submarine culvert which burrows under the canal track, and then pops up again on the far side. A solution which is similar to the humble U bend under your sink. The problem with this solution is that if something heavy falls down the sump it probably won't be washed out the other side and, over time, an accumulation of these 'somethings', say bricks, will block the sump and need clearing out, which is no mean feat when it is completely full of water.

There is an original sump aqueduct just below Deptmore Lock further along the Staffs and Worcester, but this one has clearly been renewed at some point and the original brick duct replaced with a series of strudy concrete pipes.

All in all not much to look at, but an ingenious solution to a very real problem.

Stretton Aqueduct

Stretton Aqueduct

Shropshire Union Canal over A5

This cast iron aqueduct carries what was the Birmingham Junction Canal (and embosed as such on the cast iron plaque) over the A5 at Stretton in an 11ft wide trough, resting on curved brick abutments topped off with some rather beautiful circular stone towers.

http://www.flickr.com/

The aqueduct comprises five sections, each 6ft 6 inches long and supported by two curved cast iron ribs.

The road layout was adapted in 1961/2 by lowering the road surface by four feet, giving some much needed extra headroom beneath the arch. Additional supports were added to the abutments at the same time.

Repairs in 1958

http://www.virtualwaterways.co.uk/

The same scene in October 2009

Presumably the 13' 6" headroom sign displayed in the 1958 photo above would now read 17' 6".

I revisited this aqueduct on a glorious October morning in 2009, capturing the following side on shots:

Stretton Aqueduct east

Stretton Aqueduct west