Aqueduct In Harptree Combe

The aqueduct in Harptree Combe is a Grade II listed structure built in 1851 for the Bristol water supply, designed by engineer John Simpson. It features a wrought iron tube supported by limestone piers and abutments. The aqueduct consists of approximately 50 meters of wrought iron pipe, which has an ovoid section, measuring 4 meters deep and 1 meter wide. This pipe is carried across a narrow, steep-sided course on five piers made of coursed rock-faced masonry, which are tapered square and rest on stone padstones that hold rocker bearings for the large pipe. The height of the piers varies to match the ground profile, with the central pier designed in a cruciform shape and featuring raking buttresses.

At the north end of the aqueduct, there is a short, tall revetment wall topped with stone coping. The south end has a similar high wall, which returns into a battered section made of undressed rocks, supported by three broad raking buttresses in dressed stone. This section continues at a lower level as an undressed rock revetment wall, also battered, with stone coping, extending for about 25 meters and enclosing a reservoir made of puddled clay. The pipeline remains in use today and is part of an 18-kilometer supply line, making it likely the oldest surviving example of this type of engineering. The aqueduct is complete in its original design.