The Nidd Aqueduct crosses the Leeds & Liverpool Canal south of Bingley

Keith Dorrington, on June 6, 2009, said:

Hi,

According to BCWW plans held in Bradford Library (5th Floor) the Nidd Valley Pipe to Bradford crosses the River Aire near to the Hirst Wood Locks, It then passes under Saltaire Roundabout on its way to the (now disused) Heaton Reservoir. Where did you get the information that says that this the Nidd Aqueduct?

Thanks K Dorrington

Idle Moor, on June 7, 2009, said:

Hello Keith,

A650 Bingley Relief Road - South Bog Viaduct states: "The bog is home to many rare species of plants and wildlife and as such is a designated SSSI (site of special scientific interest) under the auspices of English Nature. This placed severe restrictions on the client brief for the structure, which required minimal disturbance to the bog and its delicate hydrological and ecological balance. Another complication was the presence of the Nidd Aqueduct, which consists of two large-diameter water pipes crossing the centre and deepest area of the bog, supported on precast driven piles. The aqueduct is owned and operated by Yorkshire Water and forms the main supply to nearby Bradford."

Another clue is that the stonework here is identical to that at the crossing of the Wharfe.

There is in reality a complex and continually evolving network rather than a single historical aqueduct and this crossing (known as Maud Bridge because of the old bridge that this crossing replaced) is presumably another branch and/or more properly associated with Chelker Reservoir than the Nidd reservoirs. Certainly Heaton Reservoir was not the only destination of the Nidd aqueduct, eg, 1922-26 reference to Chellow Heights. If someone can point to an authoritative complete reference I'd be grateful - there was extensive information online relating to the 1990s network upgrade but it appears to no longer be available.

Idle Moor, on June 10, 2009, said:

After more reading -- the pipeline that you describe running via Gilstead, Hirst Wood and Saltaire to Heaton Reservoir is the 1860s aqueduct from Lower Barden Reservoir, not the 1901/1921 Nidd Aqueduct, which does indeed run via Maud Bridge as shown above. See, eg, 'Lesser Railways of the Yorkshire Dales and the dam builders in the age of steam' (Bowtell, Plateway Press 1991).