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The Great Britain Guide

Historic bridges · Central Scotland

River Cart Aqueduct

GeorgianFree admission

River Cart Aqueduct is a historic bridge in the United Kingdom.

River Cart Aqueduct, historic bridges in Central Scotland

Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence

Plan your visit

Typical visit
15 min–30 min
Nearest railway station
Hawkhead · 0.5 km
  • Free entry
  • Dog-friendly

About

River Cart Aqueduct is a named historic bridge in the United Kingdom. Records date its origin to 1809. OpenStreetMap heritage rating: 2/5. Coordinates: 55.8400°, -4.4064°.

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From the Wikipedia article

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.

Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.

Background

History

The aqueduct was built between 1808 and 1810, and opened in 1811 to carry the Glasgow, Paisley and Johnstone Canal. John Rennie and Thomas Telford were involved in the engineering process. 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.

Architecture

It is a freestone masonry segmental arch of 88 ft span and a height over the water of about 30 ft. 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. 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.

Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Coordinates
55.8400, -4.4064
District
Renfrewshire
Postcode
PA1 1LX
Parliamentary constituency
Paisley and Renfrewshire South
Established
1809
Nearest railway station
Hawkhead0.5 km
Opening
1811 (opened in 1885 as railway bridge)

Sources

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Frequently asked questions

Where is River Cart Aqueduct?
River Cart Aqueduct is in central Scotland, United Kingdom (postcode PA1 1LX).
When was River Cart Aqueduct built?
Built or established in 1809.
Who owns River Cart Aqueduct?
River Cart Aqueduct is owned by | maint =.
Is River Cart Aqueduct free to visit?
Yes, River Cart Aqueduct is free to enter.
How do I get to River Cart Aqueduct?
The nearest railway station is Hawkhead, about 0.5 km away. Drivers can navigate to postcode PA1 1LX.