Ridings Bridge on the Huddersfield Broad Canal – Huddersfield, UK - Stone Bridges on Waymarking.com

Ridings Bridge
Built into the lock next to the lower lock gates is a stone access bridge.

Bridges are often built into canals next to locks where the canal is at its narrowest making it cheaper and easier to build.

On broad canals like this one the arms to operate the gates are very long. When there is a bridge next to the lock gate like this one the arms on the gate have a bend in them otherwise they would hit the bridge when the gates are opened.

The bridge consists of a single elliptical arch that only encompasses the canal and does not stretch over the tow path. This means that when the canal first opened the horses would have to be disconnected from the boat when passing the end of the bridge.

The Huddersfield Broad Canal
The Huddersfield Broad Canal was completed in 1780. It runs between the Calder and Hebble Navigation at Cooper Bridge and the Huddersfield Narrow Canal in the centre of Huddersfield.

The Huddersfield Broad Canal was originally known as the Cooper Canal, as it branched off the Calder and Hebble Navigation at Cooper Bridge. It was later known as Sir John Ramsden's Canal, after the Lord of the Manor and main land-owner. It later became known as the Broad Canal to distinguish it from the Narrow Canal.

The waterway is only 3¾ miles (6 km) long and has 9 wide locks and follows the valley of the River Colne.

The maximum dimensions for a boat to be able to travel on the waterway are 57 feet and 6 inches long and 14 feet wide.

The Huddersfield Narrow Canal has locks 72 feet long and maximum width of 6 feet 10 inches so there is a mismatch in the size of boats that can move between the two canals. When the canals were used commercially the boats’ cargoes had to be loaded and unloaded when moving between the two canals.

Obviously boats that are less than 57.5 feet long and narrower than 6 feet 10 inches can pass between both canals.

The canal never closed because other canals such as The Huddersfield Narrow Canal had done very few boats used it. However since 2001 when the Huddersfield Narrow Canal re-opened to non commercial traffic leisure boaters have started to re-use it. The usage increased again when the Rochdale Canal re-opened in 2002. This gave access to different routes over the Pennines and also completed 2 rings of canals known as the South Pennine Ring, and The Outer Pennine Ring.

Physical Location (city, county, etc.): Huddersfield, Yorkshire Road, Highway, Street, etc.: Unnamed Access Road Water or other terrain spanned: The Huddersfield Broad Canal Architect/Builder: Not listed Construction Date: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   02/01/2013 hulletteers visited it