Stone Bridge 9 On The Peak Forest Canal - Woodley, UK
Posted by: 
dtrebilc
N 53° 26.180 W 002° 05.509
30U E 560331 N 5921194
This stone arch bridge was built as an accommodation bridge to give a nearby farmer access to his fields.
Waymark Code: WMMTM9
Location: North West England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 11/03/2014
Views: 1
The Peak Forest Canal
It is a narrow canal constructed between 1794 and 1805 and is fourteen miles long. It connects Buxworth with Dukinfield where it joins the Ashton Canal. The sixteen locks near the town of Marple raise the canal a height of 210 feet in a distance of 1 mile.
The advent of the railways and later modern roads led to the decline of the canal and it fell into disuse between 1920 and 1960. An upsurge in leisure boat use led to the canal being restored and reopened in 1974.
The Bridge
As the bridge was for private use by the farm it is not accessible from the canal tow path. It is currently in a state of disrepair with a metal fence replacing the original stone parapet.
The bridge is on a slight bend in the canal and in the days when boats were towed by horses, the tow ropes wore grooves in the bridge supports. In order to protect the stone work metal bars were attached to each side of the bridge, and even these were damaged by the ropes. The metal bars are still attached and serve as a reminder of the early history of the canal.
In 1985 the bridge became an English Heritage Grade II Listed Building.
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