Stewart Aqueduct

Bridge in Smethwick

52°30′21″N 1°59′51″W / 52.5059°N 1.9974°W / 52.5059; -1.9974OS grid referenceSP001898CarriesBCN Old Main LineCrossesBCN New Main LineLocaleSmethwickMaintained byCanal & River TrustHeritage statusGrade II listedCharacteristicsTrough constructionBrickPier constructionBrickTraversable?YesTowpathsBothNo. of spansTwoPiers in waterOneHistoryDesignerThomas TelfordConstruction end1828Location Map

The Stewart Aqueduct (or Steward Aqueduct) in Smethwick, West Midlands (but formerly in Staffordshire), England carries the BCN Old Main Line Canal (1770) over the BCN New Main Line Canal (1828).^[1] Alongside and above the New Main Line Canal is the Stour Valley section of the West Coast Main Line (1852), all three being bridged by the M5 motorway (c. 1970).^[1]

The Grade II listed^[2]^[3] aqueduct was built by Thomas Telford in 1829 when he bypassed James Brindley's earlier Birmingham Canal (at the Wolverhampton Level) with his New Main Line (at the Birmingham Level).^[2] Both canals contributed to the Industrial Revolution in the Midlands by conveying coal and raw materials to Birmingham, and finished products to the country and ports.

It is located at the edge of the former Chance's Glass Works (1824) and is close to Spon Lane Canal Junction, the point where the Wednesbury and Wolverhampton routes of the BCN Old Main Line (former Birmingham Canal) meet.

Motorway (M5) over railway over canal over canal
The aqueduct behind struts of motorway looking towards Birmingham

References

^ ^a ^b Pearson, Michael (1989). Canal Companion - Birmingham Canal Navigations. J. M. Pearson & Associates. ISBN 0-907864-49-X.
^ ^a ^b Historic England. "Steward Aqueduct (Grade II) (1077161)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
^ Historic England. "Grade II (1077161)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 1 May 2009.