Clifton Aqueduct, built in 1796, carried the
Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal across the
River Irwell
The River Irwell ( ) is a tributary of the River Mersey in north west England. It rises at Irwell Springs on Deerplay Moor, approximately north of Bacup and flows southwards for to meet the Mersey near Irlam. The Irwell marks the boundary b ...
in
Clifton, near
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
, England. It is preserved as a Grade II
listed structure
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
.
The
aqueduct is constructed of dressed stone with brick arches. Three segmental arches with keystones rest on triangular-ended cutwaters. Above the cutwaters are flat
Pilaster
In classical architecture, a pilaster is an architectural element used to give the appearance of a supporting column and to articulate an extent of wall, with only an ornamental function. It consists of a flat surface raised from the main wal ...
s. A C20 brick
parapet
A parapet is a barrier that is an extension of the wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian ''parapetto'' (''parare'' 'to cover/defend' and ''petto'' 'chest/breast'). ...
remains on the eastern side. There is a towpath on each side, and the aqueduct contains grooves for stop planks to be inserted, to drain the canal.
[ The aqueduct was engineered by Charles Roberts and John Nightingale.
The aqueduct is one of two remaining along the canal route, the other being ]Prestolee Aqueduct
Prestolee Aqueduct is a stone-built aqueduct in Prestolee, Kearsley in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England. The four-arch structure was constructed in 1793 to carry the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal across the Ri ...
. The canal is undergoing restoration and was previously hoped to be in operation around 2020.
As of December 2020, the aqueduct is currently not in water.
The canal is very overgrown and showing signs of severe deterioration.
Rail access
The nearest station is Clifton (Manchester) railway station.
See also
* Listed buildings in Swinton and Pendlebury
*Canals of the United Kingdom
The canals of the United Kingdom are a major part of the network of inland waterways in the United Kingdom. They have a varied history, from use for irrigation and transport, through becoming the focus of the Industrial Revolution, to today's r ...
*History of the British canal system
History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...
References
External links
Clifton Aqueduct on Pennine Waterways websiteManchester, Bury & Bolton Canal Society website
*
Grade II listed bridges in Greater Manchester
Bridges completed in 1796
Navigable aqueducts in England
Grade II listed canals
Buildings and structures in the City of Salford
Bridges across the River Irwell
1796 establishments in England
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