River Cart Aqueduct

The River Cart Aqueduct, sometimes known as the Blackhall Bridge, is a railway bridge and former navigable aqueduct in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland. It opened in 1811 as an aqueduct to carry the Glasgow, Paisley and Johnstone Canal over the White Cart Water. Following the closure of the canal in 1881, it was converted to a railway bridge in 1885, and now carries the Paisley Canal Line. It is registered as a Category A listed building by Historic Environment Scotland. [1]

River Cart Aqueduct
Coordinates55.839986°N 4.406396°W / 55.839986; -4.406396
CarriesPaisley Canal Line
CrossesRiver Cart
Heritage statusCategory A
Characteristics
MaterialStone
Height30 feet (9.1 m)
No. of spans1
History
Engineering design byJohn Rennie and Thomas Telford
Opened1811 (opened in 1885 as railway bridge)
Location

History

The aqueduct was built between 1808 and 1810, and opened in 1811 to carry the Glasgow, Paisley and Johnstone Canal.[2] John Rennie and Thomas Telford were involved in the engineering process.[3][4] The contractor was John Simpson and the cost of construction was £5,440.

The canal was closed in 1881, and converted to run the Paisley Canal Line, which opened in 1885.[2]

Design

It is a freestone masonry segmental arch of 88 feet 6 inches (27 m) span and a height over the water of about 30 feet (9 m). The bridge is probably the longest span masonry aqueduct of the canal age on a British canal, and one of the world's earliest bridges carrying a public railway. It was widened to carry the double track railway, and the line crosses the bridge at a slight skew because of the easing of the sharp canal curvature.[4][5][6]

When the aqueduct carried the canal, it was only the width of a single boat, making it necessary to wait for another boat to pass at times.[7]

References
  1. "BLACKHALL RAILWAY VIADUCT OVER WHITE CART WATERLB38923". Historic Environment Scotland. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
  2. Holland, Julian (2013). Dr Beeching's Axe 50 Years On: Memories of Britain's Lost Railways. David & Charles. p. 187. ISBN 1-4463-0267-9.
  3. Historic Environment Scotland. "Paisley, Blackhall Aqueduct (43178)". Canmore. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
  4. Roland Paxton and Jim Shipway, Civil; Engineering Heritage: Scotland, Lowlands and Borders, Thomas Telford Limited, London, 2007, ISBN 978 0 7277 3487 7
  5. Jean Lindsay, The Canals of Scotland, David and Charles, Newton Abbot, 1968, ISBN 0 7153 4240 1
  6. Google (2 January 2014). "River Cart Aqueduct" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
  7. United States Congress (1832). House Documents, Otherwise Publ. as Executive Documents: 13th Congress, 2d Session-49th Congress, 1st Session. p. 103.
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