The Lune Aqueduct And The Black And White Canal - Lancaster, UK - UK Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

The Transport Trust regard the aqueduct a Transport Heritage Site as it is the largest all-masonry aqueduct in Britain. It is also a Historic England Grade I Listed Building.

The information board is a short distance to the north west of the aqueduct, next to a bronze relief carving of the aqueduct. They both stand next to bridge 108 that carries Halton Road over the canal.

The text from the board is as follows.

The Lune Aqueduct
and the black and white canal
The Lancaster Canal was built to connect the limestone quarries in Lancaster and Kendal with coalfields near Wigan. Black coal and white limestone were the canal's main cargoes which is why it came to be known as the Black and White Canal.

John Rennie was a brilliant young man and with the help of his surveyor William Crossley, he planned the route of the Lancaster Canal. It was all on one level from Preston to Tewitfield, just north of Lancaster. To do this, he would have to build substantial aqueducts over the River Lune here in Lancashire and the River Ribble at Preston. In the end,

the cost was too high and the aqueduct at the Preston end was never built. Rennie altered the design several times as he struggled with the challenges of building such a large structure.

Working together
To build such a large and complex structure. Rennie needed a competent team of people to help him.

Archibald Millar was the resident engineer supervising the company's own men.

Hugh Baird was in charge of a steam engine that pumped the river dry whilst building the foundations. This was a very important job. If the dam broke, workmen could be killed by flood water.

Alexander Stevens was the experienced contractor who ordered materials and supervised metalworkers and masons as well as great gangs of navvies. They did the physical work of digging out the canal by hand.

Our Inerpretation
In spring 2011, Central Lancaster High School worked with local artist, Rachel Midgeley to develop designs for a metal plaque to tell the story of the building of the aqueduct. You can see the finished result alongside this panel.

Lancaster boats
Lancaster had a long tradition of trading with the West Indies, but the tidal River Lune had made economic growth difficult.

When the canal was opened in 1797, it had a dramatic impact to the east of Preston, where the new transport link encouraged the building of huge steam powered cotton mills along its bank.

These factories needed coal and Lancaster Boats carried huge amounts to feed the steam engines.

Fine views
John Rennie didn't simply build a plain aqueduct. It was frequently admired and painted by artists - the famous artist JMW Turner walked all the way from Morecambe Bay to find the best view to paint.

Wild place
The aqueduct is a good place for wildlife, away from the noise and activity of town. The still waters of the canal are kept at the same level all year and good for mallard ducks, moorhens and goldeneye. They nest on banks away from the towpath.

Type of Historic Marker: Information board on Lancaster Canal towpath Historical Marker Issuing Authority: Canal and River Trust Age/Event Date: 01/01/1797 Related Website: [Web Link] Give your Rating:

Visit Instructions:
Please submit your visiting log with a picture of the object and include some interesting information about your visit.

Recent Visits/Logs:

There are no logs for this waymark yet.