Weir on E side of Tennant Canal at Red Jacket Pill

Cadw's description

Location

At Red Jacket Pill on N side of a modern concrete weir and immediately S of SW corner of gas works.

History

The Tennant Canal was built 1820-4, engineered by William Kirkhouse. The head of the canal was at Aberdulais, where it joins the Neath Canal, and ended at Port Tennant on the E side of the River Tawe in Swansea. Traffic was carried on the canal until 1930s. The weir, constructed to carry off excess water and prevent the canal bursting its banks, is within a raised section of canal embanked across marshy ground.

Exterior

The top of the weir is approximately 5m long and water is channelled from the canal through 6 shallow segmental-arched culverts below the towpath. The arches are of dressed sandstone with the core stonework of the culverts visible on the upper surface, but with a concrete coping added on the canal side. On E side is a short cascade of stepped stonework. Its flanking walls survive only in part, having been mainly washed away, and are of rubble stone with flat dressed copings.

Reason for designation

Listed for industrial archaeological interest as an original built component of the Tennant Canal and for group value with other structures associated with the canal.