Stanley Ferry Aqueduct

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Stanley Ferry Aqueduct
Carries	Aire and Calder Navigation
Crosses	River Calder
Locale	Yorkshire, England
Total length	50.3 metres (165 ft)
Width	7.3 metres (24 ft)
Beginning date of construction	1836
Completion date	1839
Coordinates	53°42′09″N 1°27′45″W / 53.702417, -1.462394Coordinates: 53°42′09″N 1°27′45″W / 53.702417, -1.462394

Stanley Ferry Aqueduct was built between 1836 and 1839 to take the Aire and Calder Navigation over the River Calder in Yorkshire, England. It is one of the earliest compression arch suspended-deck bridges in the world and is considered to be the largest aqueduct executed in cast iron^[1].

Designed by George Leather and built by H. McIntosh, the aqueduct has a span of 50.3 metres (165 ft), a width of 7.3 metres (24 ft) and a depth of 2.6 metres (8.5 ft)^[2]. It is still in use today, though an additional wider concrete aqueduct was constructed alongside in 1981 and the bridge was then renovated.

Stanley Ferry is also the place where the Tom Pudding tub boats were loaded with coal from local collieries between 1863 and 1985 and transported down to Goole in long trains by canal.

The site is one of three historic fords crossing the River Calder near Wakefield. Because the water was deepened for navigation a ferry became necessary, but was replaced by the first bridge in 1879.

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