Barton Swing Aqueduct [16 photos] in SJ76719761 :: Geograph Britain and Ireland

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Barton Swing Aqueduct

The Barton Swing Aqueduct carries the Bridgewater Canal (Link ) across the Manchester Ship Canal, the swinging action allows large vessels using the Manchester Ship Canal to pass underneath and smaller narrowboats on the canal to cross over the top. The aqueduct, which is the first and only swing aqueduct in the world, (Link

) is a Grade II* listed building (Historic England List Entry Number: 1356522 Link

Heritage Gateway).

The Manchester Ship Canal, opened in 1894, allowing ships of up to 400 tons to reach docks close to the centres of Salford and Manchester. To enable the much larger vessels to pass below the Bridgewater Canal at Barton, the historic landmark of Barton Aqueduct, which dated from 1761, had to be demolished as the height of ships using the new ship canal would make them too large to pass under the original aqueduct.
The aqueduct consists of a channel that can be sealed off at each end to form a 235 feet long and 18 feet wide tank that swings round on its pivot, situated on an island in the middle of the Ship Canal. Hydraulic rams are used to drive rubber seals into each end of the moveable tank.

The structure is located adjacent to, and upstream of, the SJ7697 : Barton Road Swing Bridge. The two bridges are controlled from a brick control tower on an island in the centre of the Ship Canal. The island supports the pivot points for the rotating structures. When in the open positions, the aqueduct and road bridge line up along the length of the island, allowing ships to traverse along each side of the ship canal.

Today it is still somewhat of a curiosity and attracts industrial historians from all over the world to marvel at its ingenuity and design.

Link

Wikipedia
Link

Pennine Waterways
Link

Visit Salford (Salford City Council)

by David Dixon

Created: Mon, 7 Mar 2011, Updated: Mon, 16 May 2016

16 images use this description:

SJ7697 : Barton Swing Aqueduct by David Dixon

SJ7697 : Barton Swing Aqueduct by N Chadwick

SJ7697 : Approaching the Barton Aqueduct by Gerald England

SJ7697 : Barton Road (Swing) Bridge and Aqueduct by Trevor Harris

SJ7697 : Manchester Ship Canal, Barton Swing Aqueduct by David Dixon

SJ7697 : Barton Swing Aqueduct by Bradley Michael

SJ7697 : Barton Swing Aqueduct control Tower by N Chadwick

SJ7697 : Barton Road Bridge and Swing Aqueduct – 1978 by Alan Murray-Rust

SJ7697 : Barton Swing Aqueduct, Bridgewater Canal by M J Roscoe

SJ7697 : End of Barton Swing Aqueduct by N Chadwick

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