Sale Bridge on Bridgewater Canal - Sale, UK - Arch Bridges on Waymarking.com

"The Bridgewater Canal connects Runcorn, Manchester and Leigh, in North West England. It was commissioned by Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater, to transport coal from his mines in Worsley to Manchester. It was opened in 1761 from Worsley to Manchester, and later extended from Manchester to Runcorn, and then from Worsley to Leigh.

Often considered to be the first "true" canal in England, as it relied upon existing watercourses as sources of water rather than as navigable routes. Navigable throughout its history, it is one of the few canals in Britain not to have been nationalised, and remains privately owned. Pleasure craft now use the canal which forms part of the Cheshire Ring network of canals. link

The canal between Worsley and Manchester opened in 1761. The rest of the canal was completed between 1767 and 1776.

The bridge spans both the canal and the adjoining tow path. On the south side of the bridge there is a join where the bridge has been widened at some point. This was probably done when a railway was built nearby in 1849 and the road now had to cross both the canal and the railway. The sides of this southern arch are cast iron rather than brick like the rest of the bridge.

Also next to the southern side of the bridge is a small working crane used to lift stop planks. This is one of the few places along the canal where stop planks are used when the flow of water along the canal needs to be stopped. Bridges are useful places for such sites because the canal is usually built narrower at bridges to make them cheaper and easier to build.

What type of traffic does this bridge support?: Motor vehicles, bikes and pedestrians What kind of gap does this bridge cross?: The Bridgewater canal Date constructed: Between 1767 and 1776 Is the bridge still in service for its original purpose?: Yes Name of road or trail the bridge services: School Road Location: Sale, Trafford Length of bridge: Not listed Height of bridge: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Please submit a photo(s) taken by you of your visit to the location (non-copyrighted photos only). GPS photos are also accepted with the location in the background, and old vacation photos are accepted. If you are not able to provide a photo, then please describe your visit or give a story about the visit. If the bridge location prevents you from taking a safe photograph, then please do not stop to take the photo. Safety is more important.

Recent Visits/Logs:

There are no logs for this waymark yet.