Dundas Aqueduct () carries the

Kennet and Avon Canal The Kennet and Avon Canal is a waterway in southern England with an overall length of , made up of two lengths of navigable river linked by a canal. The name is used to refer to the entire length of the navigation rather than solely to the cent ...

over the River Avon (the

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...

border) and the

Wessex Main Line The Wessex Main Line is the railway line from Bristol Temple Meads to Southampton Central. Diverging from this route is the Heart of Wessex Line from Westbury to Weymouth. The Wessex Main Line intersects the Reading to Taunton Line at and th ...

railway from Bath to Westbury. The aqueduct is near

Monkton Combe Monkton Combe is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in north Somerset, England, south of Bath, Somerset, Bath. The parish, which includes the Hamlet (place), hamlet of Tucking Mill, had a population of 554 in 2013. It was form ...

, Somerset, and is about southeast of the city of Bath. It was designed by John Rennie and chief engineer John Thomas between 1797 and 1801, and completed in 1805. James McIlquham was appointed contractor. It is named after Charles Dundas, the first chairman of the Kennet and Avon Canal Company. The aqueduct is long with three arches built of

Bath Stone Bath Stone is an oolitic limestone comprising granular fragments of calcium carbonate. Originally obtained from the Combe Down and Bathampton Down Mines under Combe Down, Somerset, England. Its honey colouring gives the World Heritage City of ...

, with

Doric Doric may refer to: * Doric, of or relating to the Dorians of ancient Greece ** Doric Greek, the dialects of the Dorians * Doric order, a style of ancient Greek architecture * Doric mode, a synonym of Dorian mode * Doric dialect (Scotland) * Doric ...

pilasters, and balustrades at each end. The central semi-circular arch spans ; the two oval side arches span . The canal crosses back across the Avon and the railway on another aqueduct at

Avoncliff Avoncliff is a small village in west Wiltshire, England, in the north of Westwood parish about southwest of Bradford-on-Avon. It is the point at which the Kennet and Avon canal crosses the river and railway line via the Avoncliff Aqueduct, w ...

. This diversion onto the right bank of the Avon avoids the steep sides of the river valley at

Limpley Stoke Limpley Stoke is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. It lies in the Avon valley between Bath and Freshford, and is both above and below the A36 road. The parish is surrounded to the north, west and south by the Bath and North E ...

, and the need to cross the

Midford Brook Midford Brook is a small river in Somerset, England. It is formed by the convergence of the Wellow Brook and Cam Brook at Midford. It passes Tucking Mill and joins the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon close to the Dundas Aqueduct and the remains ...

and River Frome. It is a Grade I

listed building 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 ...

, and was the first canal structure to be designated as a

Scheduled Ancient Monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...

in 1951. Over many years, leaks had developed and the aqueduct was closed in 1954. For a while in the 1960s and 1970s, the canal was dry and it was possible to walk along the bed on each side of the river, as well as through the aqueduct itself. The aqueduct was relined with

polythene Polyethylene or polythene (abbreviated PE; IUPAC name polyethene or poly(methylene)) is the most commonly produced plastic. It is a polymer, primarily used for packaging ( plastic bags, plastic films, geomembranes and containers including bo ...

and concrete and restored, reopening in 1984. Care was taken not to disturb a colony of bats living under the aqueduct. dundas

The aqueduct is also the junction between the Kennet and Avon Canal and the largely derelict

Somerset Coal Canal The Somerset Coal Canal (originally known as the Somersetshire Coal Canal) was a narrow canal in England, built around 1800. Its route began in basins at Paulton and Timsbury, ran to nearby Camerton, over two aqueducts at Dunkerton, through a ...

. The short stretch of the Somerset Coal Canal still in water forms Brassknocker Basin, used for boat moorings, cycle hire and a cafe, and is next to Dundas Wharf where the small tollhouse, warehouse and crane still stand. The stretch of river below and above the aqueduct is used by

Monkton Combe School (Thy Word is Truth) , established = , type = Public schoolIndependent schoolBoarding school , founder = The Revd Francis Pocock , head_label = Head Master , head ...

Boat Club (Monkton Bluefriars) up to six days a week, since at least the 1960s. At the opposite (Wiltshire) end of the aqueduct a wharf was constructed serving the

Conkwell Conkwell is a hamlet in Winsley parish, Wiltshire, England, near the county border with Bath and North East Somerset, North East Somerset. It is about west of Bradford-on-Avon and southeast of the city of Bath, Somerset, Bath. The settlement w ...

stone quarries. Between 2002 and 2004 further restoration was undertaken, which included replacing

engineering brick Engineering bricks are a type of brick used where strength, low water porosity or acid (flue gas) resistance are needed. Engineering bricks can be used for damp-proof courses. Clay engineering bricks are defined in ''§ 6.4.51'' of ''British Sta ...

s used by GWR with

to match the original work. In 2015, the railway below the aqueduct was lowered to allow the route to be used as a diversionary route for freight trains in the future.

Network Rail Network Rail Limited is the owner (via its subsidiary Network Rail Infrastructure Limited, which was known as Railtrack plc before 2002) and infrastructure manager of most of the railway network in Great Britain. Network Rail is an "arm's leng ...

published a time-lapse video of the work.

References

{{Kennet and Avon Canal Kennet and Avon Canal Canals in Somerset Canals in Wiltshire Grade I listed bridges Grade I listed buildings in Wiltshire Bridges completed in 1805 Scheduled monuments in Wiltshire Grade I listed buildings in Bath and North East Somerset Navigable aqueducts in England Grade I listed canals 1805 establishments in England Bridges across the River Avon, Bristol

See also

References