STALYBRIDGE AQUEDUCT (Also known as the Stakes Aqueduct) 1801 SJ954 982 N53o 28' 52.1" W2o 4' 14.0"
Walking along the Huddersfield Narrow Boat Canal at Stalybridge in what is now a heavily industrial area of Manchester, one would hardly notice this pioneering aqueduct. It was the recommendation of Benjamin Outram that an iron trough should be used to replace a damaged masory aqueduct. His aqueduct was completed the same year that Thomas Telford was also using cast iron plates to line his Chirk Aqueduct carrying the Ellesmere Canal over the River Ceiriog. The iron work was likely provided by the Butterley Works. The trough still carries the canal over the River Tame 200 plus years later.
This is a very tricky place to find as it is buried far from a street in the midst of the St. Paul's Trading Estate. Pick up the tow path at Peel Street and follow it in a north westerly direction towards the River Tame. This is where a GPS on "pedestrian mode" is invaluable.
