Longdon-on-Tern Aqueduct

The Longdon-on-Tern Aqueduct, near Longdon-on-Tern in Shropshire, was one of the first two canal aqueducts to be built from cast iron.

Longdon-on-Tern Aqueduct
The aqueduct pictured in 1994
Coordinates	52.737°N 2.567888°W / 52.737; -2.567888
Carries	Shrewsbury Canal (now disused)
Crosses	River Tern
Heritage status	Grade I Listed building
Historic England Listing Entry Number	1037006
Characteristics
Material	Cast iron
Total length	186 feet (57 m)
Width	9 feet (2.7 m)
Water depth	3 feet (0.91 m)
Traversable?	No (now drained)
Towpaths	South side
No. of spans	4
History
Designer	Thomas Telford
Construction end	1796

History

The cast iron canal aqueduct was re-engineered by Thomas Telford after the first construction designed by William Clowes was swept away by floods. It was built in 1796 to carry the Shrewsbury Canal across the River Tern near Longdon-on-Tern in Shropshire.[1] The 186 feet (57 m) aqueduct was opened one month after Benjamin Outram's 44 feet (13 m) cast iron Holmes Aqueduct on the Derby Canal, the world's first cast iron canal aqueduct.[1][2] Since the closure of the Shrewsbury Canal in 1944, the aqueduct has been disused.[1] The aqueduct is an Historic England Grade I listed building and has been on the register since 30 March 1971.[2]

Description

The canal was carried in a cast iron trough 9 feet (2.7 m) wide, 3 feet (0.91 m) deep and 186 feet (57 m) long and divided in four spans, each of 47 feet 8 inches (14.53 m).[1]

See also

• Grade I listed buildings in Shropshire
• Listed buildings in Rodington, Shropshire

References

1. Sivewright, W.J., ed. (1986). Civil Engineering Heritage: Wales & Western England. For the Institution of Civil Engineers by Thomas Telford. pp. 179–180. ISBN 072770236X.
2. "Shrewsbury Canal, Longdon Aqueduct (Aqueduct on the Shrewsbury Canal) Shrewsbury Canal, the Aqueduct of the Shrewsbury Canal". Historic England. Retrieved 19 November 2017.