Description

SJ 51 SW UPTON MAGNA C.P. SHROPSHIRE UNION CANAL,
SJ 5377 1120 Shrewsbury Branch

3/92 South-west entrance to
- Berwick Tunnel

- II

Canal tunnel entrance. Dated 1797, possibly by Josiah Clowes or Thomas
Telford. Dressed red sandstone with ashlar dressings. Parabolic arch with
chamfered voussoirs and triple keystone; curved retaining walls, string
course, central square datestone, coped parapet raised to centre, and
coped square end piers. Arch bricked up in late C20. Berwick Tunnel (970
yards) was the first canal tunnel to have a towpath incorporated from the
start; added at the suggestion of William Reynolds it was wooden, about
3 feet wide and rested on bearers set in the wall allowing the full
width of the tunnel to be filled with water and reducing the resistance of
boats. The Shrewsbury branch of the Shropshire Union Canal was begun in
1793 with Josiah Clowes as the engineer under William Reynolds, the latter
replaced after his death in February 1795 by Thomas Telford, and opened in
February 1797. Charles Hadfield, The Canals of the West Midlands, David
and Charles (1969), Pp.160 and 163.

Listing NGR: SJ5382611453

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26532484

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Dorset (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair
• 
  For the Record
• 
  ENGLAND GUIDE TO POST WAR LISTED: A Guide to Post-war Listed Buildings
• 
  Maintaining and Repairing Old Houses: A Guide to Conservation, Sustainability and Economy
• 
  Pioneers of Modern Design: From William Morris to Walter Gropius (Penguin Art & Architecture)