Edstone Aqueduct is one of three aqueducts on a 4 miles (6 km) length of the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal in Warwickshire. All are unusual in that the towpaths are at the level of the canal bottom. At 475 feet (145 m),[1] Edstone is the longest cast iron aqueduct in England.[2] It crosses a minor road, a stream, and a field, a railway line (the North Warwickshire Line) and the trackbed of the disused Alcester branch line. There was once a pipe from the side of the canal that enabled steam locomotives to draw water to fill their tanks.[3]
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The aqueduct was completed in 1816 and is an early example of a prefabricated structure. Its cast iron trough is formed of 35 separate sections bolted together, which sits on thirteen brick piers, creating 14 spans. The trough is 2.7 metres (8.9 ft) wide, and 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) deep. The towpath is set level with the base of the trough, which is a somewhat unusual design feature.[4]
The aqueduct is a Grade II* listed structure.[5]
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Edstone Aqueduct, from the top -
Edstone Aqueduct From South. Bearley Lock in the distance. April 2012 -
The railway line passing under the aqueduct.
See also edit
References edit
- ^ Ware (1989). Britain’s Lost Waterways. Moorland Publishing Co Ltd. p. 28,29.
- ^ Skempton, Sir Alec (2002). A Biographical Dictionary of Civil Engineers in Great Britain and Ireland: Vol 1: 1500 to 1830. Thomas Telford. p. 357. ISBN 0-7277-2939-X.
- ^ "Bearley Junction: gwrbj790". Warwickshire Railways. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
- ^ "Edstone Aqueduct, hidden wonder of the waterways". Canal & River Trust. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
- ^ Historic England. "AQUEDUCT, STRATFORD ON AVON CANAL (THAT PART IN ASTON CANTLOW CP) (1024550)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
External links edit
52°14′47″N 1°45′51″W / 52.2464°N 1.7641°W
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