Marking 200 years of engineering history

EDSTONE Aqueduct at Bearley celebrated its 200th anniversary this month.

It is England’s longest aqueduct measuring 500 feet and was built to link trade between the River Avon and the Midlands waterway network. It meant industrialists could move their materials between Birmingham and London far quicker than by horse and cart.

“They were known as the rivers in the sky,” said Lucky Lowe, heritage advisor at the Canal and River Trust. “Edstone Aqueduct nearly became derelict in the 1940s and 50s but thanks to the hard work of volunteers and enthusiasts it survives today and plays an important role in the leisure and tourism industry.”