Engine Arm Aqueduct | |
|---|---|
 The Engine Arm Aqueduct, cast byHorseley Ironworks | |
| Coordinates | 52°29′52″N1°57′59″W / 52.4979°N 1.9665°W /52.4979; -1.9665 |
| OS grid reference | SP023888 |
| Carries | BCNEngine Arm |
| Crosses | BCN New Main Line |
| Locale | Smethwick |
| Maintained by | Canal & River Trust |
| Heritage status | Scheduled Ancient Monument |
| Characteristics | |
| Trough construction | Cast Iron |
| Pier construction | Stone |
| Total length | 52 feet (15.8 m) |
| Width | 8 feet (2.4 m) |
| Traversable? | No |
| Towpaths | Both |
| No. of spans | One |
| Location | |
 Interactive map of Engine Arm Aqueduct | |
TheEngine Arm Aqueduct is a canal aqueduct atSmethwick (nearBirmingham), in theWest Midlands of England. It was built in 1829 byThomas Telford to carry a water feeder, theEngine Arm, over theNew Main Line of theBirmingham Canal Navigations.[1]
TheEngine Arm was built as a short branch from a pumping station to supply water to the Birmingham Canal, which opened at the end of the 18th century. The original canal took a slow and circuitous route fromBirmingham toWolverhampton, partly to avoid a patch of high ground atSmethwick. The route involved short sections of level water between multiple sets oflocks, which caused congestion as boat traffic increased. In the 1820s, the canal proprietors hired the engineerThomas Telford to improve the situation. Telford built a new main line which took a much straighter route and involved a deep cutting through the high ground. The new canal bisected the Engine Arm so Telford built the aqueduct to connect with it at the new lower level.[1]
The bridge is a single span of 52 feet (16 metres) incast iron. The arch is formed from five ribs, each cast in four sections and bolted together. The ribs are connected to each other by transverse members and they are fixed to the masonry abutments. The three central ribs support the 8-foot (2.4-metre)-wide cast-iron trough which boats travel, and the outer ones support the towpaths and the bracing that connects to the sides of the trough. The towpath support consists of an arcade ofGothic arches with quatrefoilspandrels. The eastern towpath is paved in brick with raised strips for horses. The ironwork was cast at theHorseley Ironworks atTipton, as were most of Telford's iron bridges.[1][2]
The aqueduct was completed in 1829. It is similar to several of Telford's other cast-iron bridges, including the nearbyGalton Bridge andCantlop Bridge in Shropshire.[1] It is ascheduled monument and a Grade II* listed building, first listed on 8 February 2007, both statuses which provide legal protection from demolition or unsympathetic modification.Historic England called it "an example of Telford's work at its best, demonstrating technical innovation" in the use of cast-iron to allow greater spans than were possible with traditional masonry arches.[3]
