Embanked aqueduct over road to W of Parish Church (including attached flights of steps &road tunnel)

This is an embanked aqueduct, constructed in the early 19th century as part of the Brecknock and Abergavenny Canal. The section to which it belongs was completed in 1805 under the direction of Thomas Cartwright, following a period of construction beginning in 1797 and continuing with several changes of engineer.

The aqueduct is built of coursed rubble masonry, with semicircular arches defining a road tunnel that passes underneath the canal. This tunnel has an approximate headroom of 1.75 metres. The tunnel’s soffit is also constructed of semicircular masonry. The voussoirs and keystones of the arches are consistent with those found on other canal bridges of the period. Flat parapets top the structure. The canal itself narrows as it spans the embanked aqueduct, while the level of the road rises as it passes through the tunnel.

Steep and narrow flights of stone steps, found at either end on the east side of the aqueduct, provide access from the road to the towpath on the north side and to the canal bank on the south. Some treads of the northern staircase have been repaired using timber.

The aqueduct is listed for its group value as a significant surviving engineering feature of the early 19th century canal. It reflects the canal’s role as an important trade artery for iron, lime, and coal, connecting the upper Usk valley to the Monmouthshire Canal and eventually to Newport. The canal later merged with the Monmouthshire Canal, and was subsequently bought by the Great Western Railway before its abandonment in 1962. Restoration work began in 1964 and continues to the present day.