
Neath Tennant Canal Aqueduct, Aberdulais, Wales.
N 51° 40.722 W 003° 46.625
30U E 446272 N 5725589
The Aberdulais Aqueduct is a 10 Arch bridge that crosses the River Neath. It was constructed in 1823 to complete the Tennant Canal and was engineered by William Kirkhouse. The structure is 340 feet long and is carried on ten masonry arches.
Waymark Code: WMDN23
Location: South Wales, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 02/03/2012
Views: 4
The 130 metres aqueduct is the longest aqueduct in South Wales.
Now disused
"William Kirkhouse (1776 - 1866) was a canal and mining engineer who lived in Neath, South Wales.
Between 1817 and 1824 Kirkhouse was engineer for the Tennant Canal (Neath & Tennant Canal), initially as an extension of the Glan-Y-Wern Canal, with the intention of linking the Tawe and Neath rivers. Work started in 1817, and the canal entered the River Neath at Red Jacket by 1818. However, barges from the Neath Canal could not cross the river, and so a further extension was started in 1820, to link with the Neath Canal basin at Aberdulais. The extension crosses the river on a 10-arched aqueduct, and the only lock on this section was situated at the south end of the aqueduct. The length of the canal, completed in 1824, was 8 miles, and it was built without an act of Parliament.
This part of the canal included several extensive engineering works. A deep cutting went through an area of quicksand and had to be reinforced with retaining walls and an inverted arch bed. The canal had to cross the River Neath, and this was done on a ten arched masonry and single span cast iron aqeuduct, the aqeuduct also crossed a previously built canal. The canal also crossed the Afon Clydach on a similar two arched aqeuduct.
The canal is still owned by the Coombe-Tennant family today."
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When was it built?: 1/1/1823