There is an interesting stone aqueduct that carries the Thirlmere Aqueduct over a small valley near Higher Wheelton. Although the Thirlmere Aqueduct is interesting in itself, this particular structure is quite strange as it has a hollow centre. I’m not sure of the purpose of this other than we might suppose this bridge bears a lot less load than the local viaducts that have a similar appearance. A lot less stone and therefore a lot less “building” has gone into the aqueduct construction.
There is obviously some confusion to be had here… I myself thought the word aqueduct to describe a sort-of bridge that carries water, but the Thirlmere Aqueduct is a series of large pipelines down from the Thirlmere Reservoir up in The Lakes down to Manchester. It is, if you will a duct for carrying water. In fact the Thirlmere Aqueduct runs for over 90 miles and passes over many aqueducts along the way.
Another point of interest is that the small stream that passes under the aqueduct also flows under the nearby canal through a small tunnel, while the canal has an overflow channel leading down into the stream.
The aqueduct itself must have been constructed sometime prior to 1894 when the Thirlmere Aqueduct was finished. The bridge is, as mentioned earlier of a hollow or perhaps “Norman” looking architecture and has on the Southern side an iron pipe leading down to the stream below. Given the direction of slope this pipe must be carrying water the opposite way the the Thirlmere pipe which must be encased in the stonework of the top of the bridge.
Under the bridge it’s quite gloomy, damp and muddy but there was no litter or chav debris around. There is a good view through the arches that could be even better at other times. There is a fun plank to walk across the stream but for the more observant a small “proper” bridge is nearby. You can see it easily from the other side of the plank. Hmmm.
It’s a nice little area but perhaps best visited as part of a walk along the canal - unless you’re really into aqueducts.
