Former weighing house, Goytre wharf

button-theme-canalFormer weighing house, Goytre wharf

goytre_weighing_machine_drawingThis two-storey house, now a holiday let named Aqueduct Cottage, was previously known as Machine Cottage and housed weighing equipment.

The way the house backs into the canal embankment indicates that the original part of the building was here before the canal’s construction in 1810.

The interior layout suggests that the narrower section at the front was added to accommodate the weighing machine. The cut-away drawing by the late Mike Blackmore shows the mechanism below the ground. Horse-drawn carts would stop outside so that the weight of cargoes leaving or arriving at the wharf could be measured.

The weighing machine was operated by Francis Morgan, who lived in the house with his wife Elizabeth and their two children. He was paid off in 1818. There probably wasn’t enough weighing work to justify employing a dedicated operator of the equipment.

Machine Cottage remained a residence until 1960s. Some of the occupants were canal workers, others had no direct connection with the canal.

Another cottage stood a little further north. You can see its foundations between the towpath and Main House (which is described on our page about Goytre wharf). This cottage belonged to Thomas Dunn of Goytre Hall. He leased the first two limekilns at Goytre from 1810 to 1817 and his wharfinger, William Edwards, lived in the cottage.

With thanks to the archive of the Monmouthshire, Brecon and Abergavenny Canals Trust and the late Mike Blackmore

Postcode: NP7 9EW    View Location Map

Monmouthshire, Brecon and Abergavenny Canals Trust website

Website for booking a stay in Aqueduct Cottage

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