Blundell Aqueduct, County Offaly

This does not grant access. Most recorded buildings are privately owned; view them only from public ground unless the owner allows entry.

More pictures of this place

What is recorded here

Squared masonry aqueduct, built in 1793, carrying the Grand Canal over the Edenderry Rathangan road. Abutments of squared rubble limestone, coursed with dressed quoins. Segmental profile arch. Spandrels of dressed blocks. Carved limestone date plaque to sides of aqueduct read: 'Blundell Aqueduct 1793'. Canal narrows…

Read the whole record

Built by the Grand Canal Company in 1793, Blundell aqueduct, was partly funded by the local landlord and named after him. The canal did not open, however, until 1797. It is the only structure in Offaly that carries the canal over a road. Usually a canal was dug out of the ground, but at certain stretches of the waterway, such as in Edenderry, the canal was constructed by building up banks for the canal on top of the bog. The result is a raised canal that is at a higher level than the land and roads. This aqueduct was constructed to pass over an existing route into Edenderry. The canal narrows as it passes through a limestone quay as is flows over the aqueduct. In the limestone quay walls are vertical channels that accommodate stop planks should the canal breech, as it did on this stretch of the canal in January 1989.

The story behind this place

It is the only structure in Offaly that carries the canal over a road.

From the Buildings of Ireland (National Inventory of Architectural Heritage) record 14912008

Places near here

Photo credits

National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
Dougbermingham ( talk ) ( Uploads ), Wikimedia Commons · CC0
Maker not stated on source page, commons.wikimedia.org
Royalcanalrunner, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Maker not stated on source page, co.pinterest.com
Maker not stated on source page, en.wikipedia.org

milestone/milepost745 yd

Explorer Tom This milestone in Drumcooly is triangular so both sides of the canal can see its numbers. In a zombie attack, it would…

Blundell Castle (in ruins)Castle, tower house · 1731 yd

Explorer Tom Blundell Castle in Edenderry has a curse that only hits people who forget to wave hello. It’s half a building but…

farm house1.0 mi

Explorer Tom Farm house in Drumcooly was built after their old home got blown away by The Big Wind. It would win a county fair for…

Saint Mary's CemeteryGraveyard/cemetery · 1.1 mi

Explorer Tom Saint Mary's Cemetery has tree-lined avenues that make you feel like you’re entering a secret club for the very dead.…

Mapped cemeteryCemetery · 1.1 mi

Explorer Tom Mapped cemetery in County Offaly is locked in a bitter, silent feud with the rain, claiming it gets the best weather in…

Downshire BridgeBridge · 1.1 mi

Explorer Tom Downshire Bridge in Edenderry is the only one of its kind on the canal, designed for horses and pedestrians who don’t…

Castropetre Church (Monasteroris)Church/chapel · 1.1 mi

Explorer Tom Castropetre Church in Edenderry is perched high up, probably so it can see everyone’s secrets from the graveyard. Its…

Edenderry Railway StationBuilding misc · 1.1 mi

Explorer Tom Edenderry Railway Station pump house stands beside the engine shed like a loyal but forgotten guard dog. It used to…

Standing stone in CloncanonStanding stone · 1.1 mi

Explorer Tom Standing stone in Cloncanon has an inscription from 1876, proving that even stones need to date their origins on their…

worker's house1.1 mi

Explorer Tom Worker's house in Edenderry was ignored by a bishop who thought it smelled too much of coal dust and train tracks. It’s…

Site of CastleCastle, unclassified · 1.7 mi

Explorer Tom Site of Castle at Clonkeen refuses to fall down because it has an ego issue. It’s been sitting there smugly since the…

Fairy fort / ringfort in ClonkeenFairy fort / ringfort · 1.7 mi

Explorer Tom Fairy fort / ringfort in Clonkeen is a forty-metre circle that would cope terribly on a reality show because it has no…

More historic places in County Offaly · All of County Offaly

Add to this placeAdd a picture Add a detailed tip Add a story

Explore the map1,095,414 places to discover