Stone Bridge 70 On The Rochdale Canal – Chadderton, UK - Arch Bridges on Waymarking.com

The Canal History
It was completed in 1804 and is one of three canals that cross the Pennine hills. This is the only one that doesn’t use a summit tunnel. In addition it was a broad canal with bridges and locks that allowed boats of 14 feet width to pass through.

Competition from railways and roads subsequently led to a decline in goods being carried and by 1937 the only section left in operation was at the Manchester end of the canal.

In 1965 there was talk of abandoning the canal but by this time leisure boating had become very popular in the UK and there was a campaign to keep it open. Work was started to repair the canal and the whole length finally reopened in 2002. As well as leisure boats, the canal attracts lots of walkers and cyclists along the tow path.

Details of this bridge
This stone arch bridge carries Scowcroft Lane over the canal and was built to provides access to the nearby Scowcroft farm.

This bridge has a set of steps at one side to allow pedestrians access between the road and the canal tow path.

This bridge was made a Grade II listed building by English Heritage in 1987 before the canal was restored. link

This web site tells us that the engineer was William Jessop, the bridge was made from hammer-dressed stone and it has a skew elliptical arch.

According to the Pennine Waterways website about the canal the standard height of bridges along this canal is 8 feet 11 inches (2.7 metres). This is stated part way through this page which shows work carried out during renovation in 2002.

Height of bridge: 8ft 11in What type of traffic does this bridge support?: Motor vehicles, bikes and pedestrians What kind of gap does this bridge cross?: The Rochdale Lane Date constructed: 1/1/1804 Is the bridge still in service for its original purpose?: Yes Name of road or trail the bridge services: Scowcroft Lane Location: Chadderton, Greater Manchester Length of bridge: Not listed

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