Nantwich Aqueduct is a

navigable aqueduct Navigable aqueducts (sometimes called water bridges) are bridge structures that carry navigable waterway canals over other rivers, valleys, railways or roads. They are primarily distinguished by their size, carrying a larger cross-section of wa ...

Acton Acton may refer to: Places Antarctica * Mount Acton Australia * Acton, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra * Acton, Tasmania, a suburb of Burnie * Acton Park, Tasmania, a suburb of Hobart, Tasmania, formerly known as Acton Canada ...

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...

, England, which carries the

Shropshire Union Canal The Shropshire Union Canal, nicknamed the "Shroppie", is a navigable canal in England. The Llangollen and Montgomery canals are the modern names of branches of the Shropshire Union (SU) system and lie partially in Wales. The canal lies in ...

over the

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

to Nantwich road. Designed by

Thomas Telford Thomas Telford FRS, FRSE, (9 August 1757 – 2 September 1834) was a Scottish civil engineer. After establishing himself as an engineer of road and canal projects in Shropshire, he designed numerous infrastructure projects in his native Scotla ...

, it dates from around 1826 and is listed at grade II*.

History

Nantwich Aqueduct was constructed in around 1826, with

as the consulting engineer. Telford designed several aqueducts on the Shropshire Union and other canals using

cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impuriti ...

troughs. The Nantwich example is one of three by Telford with a similar design; the others are at

Congleton Congleton is a town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. The town is by the River Dane, south of Manchester and north of Stoke on Trent. At the 2011 Census, it had a population of 26,482. Top ...

, also in Cheshire, and Stretton in

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands Cou ...

. Restoration work was carried out in 2015. The project won the restoration and historic environment category of the Canal & River Trust's Living Waterways Awards in 2016.

Location and description

Nantwich Aqueduct is located at in the civil parish of

, 0.5 miles south east of the village of Acton, and on the edge of the town of Nantwich. It carries the main line of the

(formerly the Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal) over the Chester to Nantwich A534 road. It is listed at grade II*, a grade which recognises "particularly important buildings of more than special interest". The aqueduct has a single cast-iron arch, with a ribbed underside. The arch spans 29 feet 6 inches and has a maximum height above the road of 15 feet 6 inches. The cast-iron water trough is 13 feet wide, and is flanked on each side by 4 feet wide tow paths, which are paved in red brick. On each side of the bridge, at the level of the water trough, there are five square bolted panels. The arch stretches between stone-dressed brick

abutment An abutment is the substructure at the ends of a bridge span or dam supporting its superstructure. Single-span bridges have abutments at each end which provide vertical and lateral support for the span, as well as acting as retaining walls ...

s, which feature

pilaster In classical architecture Classical architecture usually denotes architecture which is more or less consciously derived from the principles of Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, or sometimes even more specifically, from the ...

s. These stand adjacent to curved brick walls with a stone

coping Coping refers to conscious strategies used to reduce unpleasant emotions. Coping strategies can be cognitions or behaviours and can be individual or social. Theories of coping Hundreds of coping strategies have been proposed in an attempt to ...

, which retain the embankment. The structure is topped on each side by cast-iron

balustrade A baluster is an upright support, often a vertical moulded shaft, square, or lathe-turned form found in stairways, parapets, and other architectural features. In furniture construction it is known as a spindle. Common materials used in its con ...

s, 3 feet 9 inch high, which continue along the curved embankment walls.

References

{{coord, 53.06923, -2.53571, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title, format=dms Navigable aqueducts in England Bridges in Cheshire Grade II* listed buildings in Cheshire Grade II* listed bridges in England Bridges by Thomas Telford Bridges completed in 1826 Buildings and structures in Nantwich Cast iron aqueducts

History

Location and description

See also

References