River Cart Aqueduct
River Cart Aqueduct | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Coordinates | 55°50′24″N 4°24′23″W / 55.839986°N 4.406396°W |
| Carries | Paisley Canal Line |
| Crosses | River Cart |
| Heritage status | Category A |
| Characteristics | |
| Material | Stone |
| Height | 30 feet (9.1 m) |
| No. of spans | 1 |
| History | |
| Engineering design by | John Rennie and Thomas Telford |
| Opened | 1811 (opened in 1885 as railway bridge) |
| Location | |
 | |
The River Cart Aqueduct, sometimes known as the Blackhall Bridge, is a
History
The aqueduct was built between 1808 and 1810, and opened in 1811 to carry the Glasgow, Paisley and Johnstone Canal.[2] John Rennie and Thomas Telford were involved in the engineering process.[3][4] The contractor was John Simpson and the cost of construction was £5,440.
The canal was closed in 1881, and converted to run the Paisley Canal Line, which opened in 1885.[2]
Design
It is a freestone masonry segmental arch of 88 feet 6 inches (27 m) span and a height over the water of about 30 feet (9 m). The bridge is probably the longest span masonry aqueduct of the canal age on a British canal, and one of the world's earliest bridges carrying a public railway. It was widened to carry the double track railway, and the line crosses the bridge at a slight skew because of the easing of the sharp canal curvature.[4][5][6]
When the aqueduct carried the canal, it was only the width of a single boat, making it necessary to wait for another boat to pass at times.[7]
See also
- List of canal aqueducts in the United Kingdom
- List of Category A listed buildings in Renfrewshire
- List of listed buildings in Paisley, Renfrewshire
- List of railway bridges and viaducts in the United Kingdom
References
- ^ "BLACKHALL RAILWAY VIADUCT OVER WHITE CART WATERLB38923". Historic Environment Scotland. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-4463-0267-5.
- ^ Historic Environment Scotland. "Paisley, Blackhall Aqueduct (43178)". Canmore. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
- ^ ISBN 978 0 7277 3487 7
- ISBN 0 7153 4240 1
- ^ Google (2 January 2014). "River Cart Aqueduct" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
- ^ United States Congress (1832). House Documents, Otherwise Publ. as Executive Documents: 13th Congress, 2d Session-49th Congress, 1st Session. p. 103.
External links
- Video of the River Cart Aqueduct
Media related to River Cart Aqueduct at Wikimedia Commons
