Canals – Crumlin Arm – Risca area

The Crumlin Arm of the Monmouthshire Canal is part of the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal network in South Wales. It connected Crumlin and its tramways to the Docks at Newport.

The Crumlin to Abercarn section opened in March 1794, and two years later, the branch was open except for Fourteen Locks. It was not until April 1799 that the proprietors (shareholders) declared that the canal was finally complete. The branch was 11 miles (18 km) long, rising 358 ft (109 m) through 32 locks.

Route
The canal started at a basin in Crumlin and ran through Newbridge, Abercarn, and Cwmcarn villages, which are now under the A467. The canal then reached Cwmcarn lock, now under the grass at the end of the present canal. The canal crosses the Pontywaun aqueduct and follows the side of the mountain above Crosskeys and Risca. This section is the most extended lock-free pound on the system until the Fourteen Locks. The canal descends the fourteen locks and turns sharp along the hillside. The canal flows next to the M4 into the urban Newport to Barrack Hill tunnel (now disused and culverted). The rest of the canal through the city is lost beneath modern roads and buildings. The Kingsway dual carriageway follows the canal route to the now-filled on Old Town Docks near the Transporter Bridge.