Aberdulais Aqueduct (partly in Blaenhonddan community)

Cadw's description

Location

Spanning the River Neath W of Aberdulais Basin and approximately 0.4km N of Tonna church.

History

The Tennant Canal, engineered by William Kirkhouse, was begun in 1821 and the aqueduct across the River Neath at Aberdulais was begun in 1823. The canal opened in 1824 from the Neath Canal at Aberdulais to Port Tennant, Swansea. Traffic declined from the 1860s due to competition with railways but the canal did not close to commercial traffic until 1934.

Exterior

A 10-bay aqueduct of coursed rubble stone, with dressed stone segmental arch rings. The arches are of uneven spans, being wider in the centre. V-shaped cutwaters on the upstream side have pyramidal caps. Towpaths are on both sides. The coping is part stone, part brick. The aqueduct enters a lock on the W bank and has a cast iron trough with stone coping at the E end (passing over a former and earlier navigable channel) before it enters the Aberdulais Basin on the E bank.

Reason for designation

Listed Grade II* for its industrial archaeological interest as a fine example of early C19 canal engineering in a prominent location, and for group value with other associated listed items on the Tennant Canal at Aberdulais.

Scheduled Ancient Monument GM 506 (NEP).