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Murtry Aqueduct facts for kids

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Murtry Aqueduct
Murtry aqueduct 1.jpg
The north face of Murtry Aqueduct
Coordinates 51°14′49″N 2°20′31″W / 51.247°N 2.342°W / 51.247; -2.342
Carries Dorset and Somerset Canal
Crosses Mells River
Locale Great Elm
Maintained by Dorset & Somerset Canal Society
Heritage status Grade II
Characteristics
Pier construction Doulting Stone
Total length 70 feet (21.3 m)
Water depth 5.6 feet (1.7 m)
Longest span 20 feet (6.1 m)
Number of spans 3
Piers in water 2
History
Construction end c.1795

Murtry Aqueduct is a three-arched aqueduct that was intended to carry the Dorset and Somerset Canal over the Mells River, near Frome in Somerset, England. It is a grade II listed building.

Construction

The aqueduct was built as part of an 8-mile branch of the canal between Frome and Nettlebridge. This branch was never completed and work on the rest of the canal was never started, so Murtry Aqueduct was never filled with water. The aqueduct has some decorative architectural features, including rusticated spandrels and plain pilasters between the arches.

At the east end there is a skew arch, smaller than the three main arches, running underneath the canal bed. This skew arch is part of the aqueduct's south face, but it is separated from the aqueduct on the north side.

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