Open Water Conduits in Church Street and Penrose Road

The Open Water Conduits in Church Street and Penrose Road are a Grade II listed structure. They feature dressed and plain granite revetments and bridges set at pavement level, with a channel base made of cut granite, shale, or cobbles, and iron grates.

This extensive system is designed around the town's topography, drawing water from the diverted River Cober located about 2 kilometers to the north and returning it to the river to the south of the town. Most of the system is underground, with the channels only exposed along the main roads in the town center.

In Church Street, water flows downhill from both the north and south, converging at the bottom near No. 13 Church Street, where it is diverted underground. To the north, the channel runs alongside the retaining wall of the churchyard of St Michael (listed Grade II*) on the west side, then shifts to the east side of the road south of the church, flowing down a conduit that features several bridges providing access to nearby buildings. At No. 35 Church Street (listed Grade II), the conduit runs beneath a pavement that extends the length of the house before continuing downhill.

At the top of the hill to the south, the water flows beneath the tooled paving and steps outside the Market Hall (listed Grade II) and the Guildhall (listed Grade II*), emerging at the junction with Penrose Road. It then flows down a conduit on the east side of Penrose Road, which is spanned by several pedestrian bridges and steps.

The section of conduits along Penrose Road follows the road downhill from the west, along the south side, briefly going underground at the corner. The main stretch of the channel is bordered by garden walls on the south and is also crossed by several bridges and steps that provide access to adjacent houses.