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RCHS Online Media Archive » Collections » Moss (Ian) » Marple Aqueduct. Damage to the Spandrel Wall. 1962-63

Marple Aqueduct. Damage to the Spandrel Wall. 1962-63

Marple Aqueduct. Damage to the Spandrel Wall. 1962-63

A lack of maintenance in the first half of the 20th century led to water seeping into the puddling and stonework of the aqueduct and, during the very cold winter of 1961/62, freezing and thawing of the water resulted in the outer face of the north-east arch collapsing into the river below. On 09 January 1962, some 30 feet of the wall fell and further damage occurred during the winter of 1962/63, which was colder still. There was a strong movement from the BWB, and local politicians, at the time to demolish the viaduct but in the end it was repaired and was a major factor in the reopening on the Peak Forest Canal. Grid Ref: SJ 9552 9005 [PF-012-390]
ROMA ID: 102346E

2 Comments

Adrian Moss: on 10 November 2025

Marple Aqueduct - date unknown - view of damage from just under the railway viaduct.

Nick Higton: on 10 November 2025

There is an article about the viaduct on the Marple local history website the includes "After gradual decline due to lack of maintenance over many years, water began to seep into the stonework. During the long cold winter of 1961-62 this froze and caused severe damage to the walls of the Aqueduct and a large section fell into the River Goyt below." My memory is that the really bad Winter was 1962-63, however.
This is a good example of a photo that, whilst not that good technically, is of significant historical value. Even better if it could be lightly photo-edited.
https://mail.marplelocalhistorysociety.org.uk/stories-from-the-archive/places/marple-aqueduct.html

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