Aston Lock Bridge Over The Trent And Mersey Canal - Aston-On-Trent, UK
Posted by: 
dtrebilc
N 52° 51.500 W 001° 22.250
30U E 609687 N 5857754
This single span brick bridge over the Trent & Mersey Canal was built as an accommodation bridge for nearby farms.
Waymark Code: WM11EC8
Location: East Midlands, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 10/07/2019
Views: 1
"As its name implies, the Trent and Mersey canal (T & M) was built to link the River Trent at Derwent Mouth (in Derbyshire) to the River Mersey. The second connection is made via the Bridgewater Canal, which it joins at Preston Brook in Cheshire. Note that although mileposts measure the distance to Preston Brook and Shardlow, Derwent Mouth is a mile or so beyond Shardlow.
The plan of a canal connection from the Mersey to the Trent ("The Grand Trunk") came from canal engineer James Brindley. It was authorised by an Act of Parliament in 1766 and the first sod was cut by Josiah Wedgwood in July that year at Brownhills, Burslem. In 1777, the canal was completed, including more than 70 locks and five tunnels, with the company headquarters in Stone."
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The Bridge
Although the bridge was originally built for access to farm fields the area on the east side of the canal has now been converted to gravel pits. The bridge is now just used by pedestrians and cyclists.
It is bridge number 6 and stands next to Aston Lock. Bridges on canals are often built next to locks because the canal is at its narrowest making the bridge cheaper and easier to build.