Canal aqueduct over Roddlesworth Water

The canal aqueduct over Roddlesworth Water, built between 1811 and 1814, carries the Leeds-Liverpool Canal across the river. The supervising engineers were Joseph and James Fletcher, and the contractors were Hiram Craven and Samuel Whitaker, who were masons from Keighley.

The aqueduct is supported by a long embankment that features an egg-shaped culvert with stone-faced abutments, which is the part that is listed. The structure is made of rusticated rock-faced sandstone. The walls curve inward to create a semicircular shape, are strongly battered, and rise in a continuous curve above the mouth of the culvert. There are low piers at the outer ends, with radiating masonry and a keystone over the arch, flanked by buttressing piers. At the top, there is a projecting band. Some decorative elements are visible, including band stones with punched faces, and the parts of the buttresses that are not covered by moss show simple vermiculated patterns.