Historic Buildings Record · Northern Ireland
Aqueduct
Moneydorragh More Upper/ Mullartown, Newry, Mourne and Down, Northern Ireland
The record
- Designation
- Listed building, Grade B2
- Grade
- B2
- Type
- Water Works Structures
- Date of listing
- 11 April 2008
- Date of construction
- 1940 - 1959
- Address
- Aqueduct, Dunnywater, Annalong, Newry, Co Down
- Townland
- Moneydorragh More Upper/ Mullartown
- Council
- Newry, Mourne and Down
- Country
- Northern Ireland
- Coordinates
- 54.13320, -5.92890
- Date of survey
- 07 June 1997
- HB reference
- HB16/01/054
Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.
David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesNational Library of Scotland
Shown on 2 historical map sheets, the earliest the 1922 "Ireland - northern section." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
The Department's description
Exterior description and setting
A circular metal water pipe from the Silent Valley is carried across the Annalong River on five semicircular reinforced-concrete arches. The voussoirs, spandrels and piers are faced with vee-jointed concrete blocks, and the piers have rounded cutwaters with stringing over. The oversailing deck has a two-bar metal handrail along both sides. At either end of the pipe is a small concrete chamber from which the inside of the pipe could be accessed.
Historical information
Because of the increased flow in the Mourne conduit between the Silent Valley and Dunnywater that would be brought about by the building of the Bignian Tunnel (which diverts water from the Annalong River into the Silent Valley), it was necessary to increase the capacity of this section of conduit. This was achieved by laying a new pipe made up of lengths of cement-lined 1.4m (54in) diameter thin steel shell (manufactured by Harland & Wolff, Belfast). This scheme, of which the aqueduct is a part, was carried out by Messrs McLaughlin & Harvey (Belfast) under the supervision of the Belfast & District Water Commissioners’ consultant engineers Messrs Binnie, Deacon and Gourley (Westminster). The tunnel and new section of conduit were opened in 1952.
Primary Sources:
1. DOE Water Service, Westland House, Old Westland Rd, Belfast - drawing 4D book 1, no.7.
Secondary sources:
1. Belfast & District Water Commissioners, ‘The Mourne Scheme: development of the Silent Valley and Annalong Valley catchments’ (Belfast 1959), pp.28-9
Criteria for listing: architectural interest
G. Innovatory Qualities
J. Setting
K. Group value
Criteria for listing: historic interest
V. Authorship
Evaluation
Architecturally, this aqueduct is of interest in that embellished concrete blocks have been used to cover the mass concrete core. Technically, the method of pipe construction (cement-reinforced steel) was apparently novel for its time. The aqueduct is also of historical interest in relation to Belfast’s water supply and has group value in being functionally related to the Bignian Tunnel (HB16/01/041). It is also a significant landscape feature.
Nearby in the register
- Water Superintendent’s houseHouseunder 1 mi
- Dunnywater BridgeBridgeunder 1 mi
- Mixing WellsWater Works Structuresunder 1 mi
- 264 Head RdHouseunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.