Aqueduct, Dunnywater, Annalong, Newry, Co Down

This aqueduct, constructed between 1940 and 1952, forms part of Belfast’s water supply system and is a significant landscape feature. The design incorporates embellished concrete blocks used to face a mass concrete core, a visually distinctive approach. The construction method employed for the pipe itself – a cement-reinforced steel pipe – was considered innovative for its time. The aqueduct carries a circular metal water pipe from the Silent Valley across the Annalong River, supported by five semicircular reinforced-concrete arches. The voussoirs, spandrels and piers are faced with concrete blocks displaying vee-joints, and the piers feature rounded cutwaters with stringing above. An oversailing deck is present, fitted with a two-bar metal handrail on both sides, and there are small concrete chambers at either end providing access to the pipe’s interior. The aqueduct’s increased capacity was necessitated by the construction of the Bignian Tunnel (listed separately as HB16/01/041), which diverts water from the Annalong River into the Silent Valley. The scheme, undertaken by Messrs McLaughlin & Harvey under the supervision of Binnie Deacon & Gourley, involved laying a new pipe, comprised of lengths of cement-lined, 1.4-meter diameter thin steel shell manufactured by Harland & Wolff of Belfast. The aqueduct's construction demonstrates innovative qualities relating to pipe construction and design, and it holds group value due to its functional relationship with the Bignian Tunnel. The aqueduct is of industrial archaeological interest, exhibiting both architectural and historical significance related to Belfast’s water infrastructure.