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Engine Arm Aqueduct facts for kids

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Engine Arm Aqueduct
Engine Arm Aqueduct west.jpg
The Engine Arm Aqueduct, cast by Horseley Ironworks
Coordinates 52°29′52″N 1°57′59″W / 52.4979°N 1.9665°W / 52.4979; -1.9665
OS grid reference SP023888
Carries BCN Engine Arm
Crosses BCN New Main Line
Locale Smethwick
Maintained by British Waterways
Heritage status Scheduled Ancient Monument
Characteristics
Trough construction Cast Iron
Pier construction Stone
Total length 52 feet (15.8 m)
Width 8 feet (2.4 m)
Traversable? No
Towpaths Both
Number of spans One

The Engine Arm Aqueduct near Smethwick, West Midlands, England, was built in 1825 by Thomas Telford to carry a water feeder, the Engine Arm, from Edgbaston Reservoir over the BCN New Main Line canal to the adjacent and parallel Old Main Line. It is a Scheduled Ancient Monument and is Grade II* listed.

It is a 52-foot (16 m) span structure consisting of a cast-iron trough supported by a single arch with five ribs, each consisting of four sections with bolted joints. The trough is supported on three of the ribs, with the adjacent towpaths being supported by cast-iron arcades of Gothic-styled arches and columns. All cast-iron features were manufactured at the Horseley Ironworks in nearby Tipton. The waterway in the aqueduct is 8 feet (2.4 m) wide with the towpaths either side being 4-foot-4-inch (1.32 m) in width each. The eastern towpath is paved in brick with raised strips for horses.

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