Summary

Aqueduct constructed 1796-1798 under engineers William Felkin and Charles Handley.

Description

Aqueduct constructed 1796-1798 under engineers William Felkin and Charles Handley.

MATERIALS: constructed of sandstone, with later concrete parapet and metal railings.

DESCRIPTION: the aqueduct is constructed of ashlar blocks and has three wide-stanning stone arches with keystones, with slightly projecting stone piers in between with angular buttresses. The underside of the arches is rendered. The north-east elevation of the aqueduct has a concrete parapet, with late-C20 metal railings on the south-west elevation. The section of canal that the structure carries is approximately five metres wide with the length of the aqueduct being 70 metres in total. The edge of the canal is bordered with sandstone with a tarmac pathway to either side for pedestrians.

History

An era known as the ‘canal age’ was sparked by the construction of the Bridgewater Canal (1759-1761) with 4,000 miles of canals constructed by the mid-C19. Canals and improved river navigations, together, provided the transport infrastructure which facilitated the Industrial Revolution.

In 1796 an Act of Parliament was passed to extend the Birmingham to Warwick Canal to the east, with the new Warwick to Napton Canal commencing in the parish of Budbrooke and passing Leamington Priors (now Leamington Spa) to join the Oxford Canal at Napton on the Hill. The new canal was to be approximately 14 miles long and cross the River Avon to the east of Warwick. Avon Aqueduct was constructed in 1796-1798 under engineers William Felkin and later Charles Handley; both were advised by Henry Couchman, the county bridge master. The canal was completed in 1799 and opened in early 1800.

In 1908 a concrete parapet was erected on the north-east side of the aqueduct. A metal balustrade was added to the south-west side in the late-C20.

Reasons for Listing

Avon Aqueduct, Warwick, constructed in 1796-1798 under the engineers William Felkin and Charles Handley, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural Interest:
* the aqueduct demonstrates engineering boldness, with the structure successfully carrying the Warwick to Napton Canal over the River Avon;
* a robust and functional structure, though elegant in its design and detailing, with ashlar stone blocks and keystones to the arches.

Historic Interest:
* the aqueduct was constructed in the late-C18 at the peak of the ‘canal age’, its survival helps to demonstrate the expansion of canal infrastructure during the period.

External Links

• Historic England Listing

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

• 
  Specifications for Building Conservation: Volume 1: External Structure: Practical Examples v. 2
• 
  Sussex: West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Building Small Projects (New Best of Fine Woodworking)
• 
  [(Shropshire)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1958)
• 
  Yorkshire West Riding: Leeds, Bradford and the North (Pevsner Architectural Guides / Buildings of England)
• 
  London 1: The City of London: City of London v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)