The aqueduct is 1007 feet long, constructed of cast iron troughs mounted on 19 masonry arches, and carries the canal 120 feet above the river.

Part of what was originally called the Ellesmere Canal, it was one of the first major feats of civil engineering undertaken by leading civil engineer Thomas Telford (supervised by the more experienced canal engineer William Jessop). It was opened on 26 November 1805, having taken around ten years to design and construct.