STONE by stone, the £2 million restoration of an historic aqueduct on the Lancaster Canal has begun.

Specialist contractors have constructed giant metal spokes inside the arch of the storm-damaged Stainton Aqueduct to support the cracked stonework as it starts to be taken apart.

Back in December 2015 the elegant, Grade II-listed structure, near Sedgwick village, was hit by a seven-feet-high wall of floodwater as Storms Desmond and Eva battered Cumbria.

The limestone masonry was left in a perilous state after the wettest calendar month on record.

Dramatic cracks in the southern, downstream portal prompted residents and canal enthusiasts such as Frank Sanderson to call immediately for urgent repairs.

The newly installed, temporary arch support will stabilise the aqueduct's roof before the southern portal is carefully dismantled. The spokes are designed to accommodate roosting bats and any sudden rise in water levels due to heavy rainfall.

Graham Ramsden, of the Canal and River Trust, said the original stone would be removed and labelled for reuse later. The reconstruction began in August and work is "progressing well", he told the Gazette.

So far the project has seen dams, flume pipes and pumps installed to control the water in Stainton Beck and create a dry working area for the contractors.

Site manager Dave Squirrell is posting regular updates and pictures to the Facebook group Stainton Aqueduct Restoration. Alongside the photo of the metal arch supports, he posted: "And, albeit slowly, carefully and with respect for part of our ancient infrastructure it starts to be taken apart."

It is hoped the aqueduct, on the Northern Reaches, will be fully restored in spring 2019 to coincide with the Lancaster Canal's bicentenary. The restoration has been made possible by a £1.3 million Heritage Lottery Fund grant, with £500,000 from the Rural Development Programme for England’s Cumbria Countryside Access Fund, and support from Lancaster Canal Regeneration Partnership, Cumbria County Council and Kendal Town Council. The Canal and River Trust, which owns the aqueduct, is overseeing the work and providing extra funding.

Stainton Aqueduct was built in 1815 at a cost of £945 to carry the waterway over Stainton Beck. It was designed by renowned canal engineer Thomas Fletcher and built by John Airey from squared limestone with voussoirs, or tapered stones used for the 12-feet-high arch.

Piling for the foundations began in October 1814 and the structure's completion was noted in February 1816. The embankment was partly built from spoil removed during the construction of the nearby Hincaster Tunnel.