Stanley Ferry Aqueduct
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Visit websiteThe Aire & Calder Navigation runs for 33 miles from Leeds to Goole, with a branch of 7.5 miles from Wakefield to Castleford. It had 8 locks spaced out between Leeds and Goole, 3 locks on the Wakefield branch and also a number of flood locks. The canal was never closed and is still used by a small amount of commercial traffic in addition to a fair number of leisure craft.
Stanley Ferry Aqueduct was built between 1836 and 1839 to take the Aire & Calder Navigation over the River Calder near Wakefield. It is one of the earliest compression arch suspended-deck bridges in the world and is considered to be the largest aqueduct executed in cast iron. Designed by George Leather and built by H. McIntosh, the aqueduct has a span of 50.3 m. (165 ft), a width of 7.3 m. (24 ft) and a depth of 2.6 m. (8.5 ft). It is still in use today, though an additional wider concrete aqueduct was constructed alongside in 1981 and the bridge was then renovated.
The original design of six arches was rejected because of spate flow volumes in the river. Instead, George Leather (with assistance from Thomas Telford) came up with this design, one of the most interesting aqueducts in Britain. Each side has a cast iron arch in 7 segments from which the iron trough is hung by 35 wrought iron rods. It weighs 1,700 t, holds 940 t. of water and is the largest cast iron aqueduct in the world. Its full glory is not seen by paddling over it, however. It is best viewed from the 2,300 t. concrete aqueduct built alongside in 1981 from where it is seen to have a dramatic Renaissance style with closely spaced fluted columns along each side and pediments in each of the four corners of the bridge.
Its replacement has, of course, nothing to do with increasing barge loads as has been claimed, the aqueduct load remaining constant while carrying water regardless of boats passing over, but the new aqueduct is wider, reducing the potential for collision damage. British Waterways have a large maintenance yard adjacent with an unusually large number of boats present and they floodlight the aqueduct each night, such is its splendour.
By Road: North of Wakefield off the A 642.
By Boat: On the Aire & Calder Canal north of Wakefield.
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