The graceful two-tier stone arches that stretch westward from the Promenade du Peyrou are the Aqueduc Saint-Clément, a deliberate 18th-century homage to the Pont du Gard near Nîmes. Built between 1753 and 1766 by the engineer Henri Pitot, the aqueduct carries water 14 km from the spring of Saint-Clément and was central Montpellier's drinking supply until well into the 20th century.
The promenade-side terminus is the elegant Château d'Eau, a hexagonal water tower that fed an ornamental fountain on the Peyrou. The space beneath the arches hosts the Marché des Arceaux on Tuesday and Saturday mornings — one of the city's best open-air food markets and a good reason to time a visit.