The aqueduct in the closed position

The Barton Swing Aqueduct (Grid ref: SJ 767 976) is a feat of late Victorian civil engineering. Located at Barton upon Irwell in north-west England, it carries the Bridgewater Canal over the Manchester Ship Canal. Image File history File links Barton swing aqueduct File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Barton swing aqueduct File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using latitude or longitude. ... The Falkirk Wheel in Scotland. ... Barton or Barton-upon-Irwell is an area of Eccles, Greater Manchester. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2005 est. ... The Bridgewater Canal is a canal in North West England, near Manchester. ... The canal at its Manchester end, looking towards Old Trafford. ...

It is a form of swing bridge. In its closed position, it allows canal traffic to pass along the Bridgewater Canal. However, when large vessels need to pass along the Ship Canal, the massive iron trough (234ft long and weighing 800 tonnes) can be swung through ninety degrees via a pivot mounted on a small purpose-built island in the Ship Canal to allow them to pass. Gates at either end of the trough retain around 800 tonnes of water within the trough; further gates on either bank retain water in their adjacent stretches of canal. The aqueduct originally had a suspended towpath along its length. This has been removed in recent years on safety grounds. A swing bridge is a bridge that has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring at or near to its center, about which it can then pivot horizontally as shown in the animated illustration below. ...

The swing aqueduct was designed by Sir Edward Leader Williams, engineer to the Manchester Ship Canal Company, and built by Andrew Handyside of Derby. It became operational in 1893 (Williams was also involved with the design of the region's other major 'moving canal' feat: the Anderton Boat Lift in Cheshire). Pont du Gard, France, a Roman aqueduct built circa 19 BC. It is one of Frances top tourist attractions and a World Heritage Site. ... Sir Edward Leader Williams (1828-1910) was an English civil engineer, chiefly remembered as the designer of the Manchester Ship Canal, but also heavily involved in other canal projects in north Cheshire. ... Andrew Handyside and Company was an iron founder in Derby in the nineteenth century. ... Derby (pronounced dar-bee ) is a city in the East Midlands of England. ... 1893 (MDCCCXCIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Anderton Boat Lift The Anderton Boat Lift provides a link between two navigable waterways: the River Weaver and the Trent and Mersey Canal, and is situated near the village of Anderton, near Northwich, in north Cheshire, north_west England. ... The Cheshire Plain - photo taken adjacent to Beeston Castle The Cheshire Plain - photo taken towards Merseyside The Cheshire Plain panorama - photo taken from Mid-Cheshire Ridge Cattle farming in the county Black-and-white timbered buildings on Nantwich High Street Cheshire (or, archaically, the County of Chester) [1] is a...

Panoramic shot of the Aqueduct in the closed position. You can also see Barton Swing Bridge to the left.

Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2123x444, 145 KB) Picture taken by Tom Jeffs, on my mobile phone, stitched together on the computer. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2123x444, 145 KB) Picture taken by Tom Jeffs, on my mobile phone, stitched together on the computer. ...

External links

• Barton Swing Aqueduct