Description and History of Site:-
Aqueduct and water conduit over Adel Beck with seven arches built in rough-faced coursed stone and ashlar. The Eccup water supply scheme was originally devised by Charles Fowler, however John Wignal Leather was appointed to undertake the detailed design and supervise construction. Fowler's scheme envisaged a storage reservoir at Eccup (WYK02368) on Stub House Beck, from which water would be conveyed in a tunnel 1 1/2 miles long under Adel Moor (WYK01093) to a site now known as Seven Arches. Here the water would be conveyed over Adel Beck in a open stone aqueduct of seven arches before being conveyed a further 3 miles to a storage reservoir at Weetwood. The aqueduct and water conduit over Adel Beck was built c1840. Originally the water ran in an open channel along the top of the aqueduct.

The private waterworks company was taken over by Leeds Corporation in 1852, and it soon became clear that the aqueduct was no longer able to satisfy the needs of the City. The corporation laid a new 40in (1m) diameter cast iron main to replace the open conduit and the Seven Arches Aqueduct was taken out of use in 1866. The new main was carried across the Adel Beck over a culvert (also listed together with the masonry aqueduct above).

In 1891, a second 42in (1.07m) cast iron water main was added, also on the east side of the Aqueduct. In 1921 a third main was completed, one of the first reinforced concrete mains in the UK, using 0.8mm thick welded steel tubes lined with 25mm of reinforced concrete on the inside and 50mm of concrete on the outside.

The aqueduct seems to have structural problems from quite early on, mostly due to settlement of the piers exacerbated by the curve of its path on the ground. In 1998 the aqueduct was stabilised using tensioned steel cables within its structure.

Further Reading and References:-
Binnie, G M. Early Victorian water engineers. Thomas Telford, 1981.
Historic England List entry: https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1256089.
http://anbeal.co.uk/sevenarchesaqueduct.html

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Key Words :- water supply aqueduct

Viewing the Site :- Can be viewed from the Meanwood Valley Trail

Address :- Meanwood, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS17 5EX
Grid Ref :- SE 28609 39443
Co-ordinates :- Lat 53.850440 , Long -1.566604
Local Authority :- Leeds Council
Pre 1974 County :- Yorkshire - West Riding
Site Status :- Listed - Grade II
Historic England List No - 1256089,
Site Condition :- Site disused - but otherwise substantially intact
Site Dates :- c1840 -
Record Date :- 1 December 2015

Copyright :- cc-by-nc-sa 4.0 © John Suter