Nantwich Aqueduct, Navigable aqueduct in Acton, England.
Nantwich Aqueduct spans Chester Road with a cast-iron arch and stone-dressed brick abutments featuring curved walls on each side. The water channel runs 13 feet (4 meters) wide with 4-foot-wide (1.2 meter) towpaths alongside for access and maintenance.
Thomas Telford designed this structure in 1826 as part of the Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal system, now known as the Shropshire Union Canal. It became one of the early examples of specialized iron construction for canal infrastructure of that era.
This structure displays early 19th-century engineering methods through its cast iron trough design and specific construction features that appear in only two other aqueducts. Visitors walking across can see the craftsmanship and deliberate design choices of that period firsthand.
The aqueduct is easy to walk across and the towpaths allow visitors to explore the structure from different angles and vantage points. Access is straightforward with no significant obstacles or steep grades that would make navigation difficult.
The aqueduct received recognition at the Canal & River Trust's Living Waterways Awards in 2016 following extensive restoration work that finished in 2015. This award acknowledged the careful revival of a vital piece of canal infrastructure.
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