Embanked Aqueduct SW of Govilon ( including Wall & Gate-piers to W )

This is an embanked aqueduct, dating from 1805, and forming part of the Brecknock and Abergavenny Canal. The canal was promoted in 1792 to connect the upper Usk valley with the Monmouthshire Canal, and construction began in 1797, though completion of the section near Govilon was delayed until 1805, overseen by engineer Thomas Cartwright. Later, between 1809 and 1812, the canal was extended to Pontymoile. The canal was important for the transport of iron, lime, and coal, and was eventually absorbed into the Great Western Railway before being abandoned in 1962. Restoration work began in 1964 and continues.

The aqueduct follows the contours of the landscape, so embanked structures were used instead of locks to navigate sharp bends. This structure carries the canal around a corner, over a stream which flows beneath a segmental arch constructed with voussoirs. The downhill side features a high revetment of roughly coursed masonry. A flat parapet runs along the top, with pilaster strips at the ends. To the west, the parapets continue as a rubble wall, which borders the towpath around the bend and includes a pair of tall stone gate piers of unexplained purpose.

The aqueduct is listed as a scarce and well-preserved example of canal engineering on an important section of the canal.