Stone Bridge 3 On The Macclesfield Canal - Marple, UK
Posted by: dtrebilc
N 53° 23.156 W 002° 03.868
30U E 562221 N 5915611
This bridge is also known as Eccles Bridge and was built as an accommodation bridge for Aaron Eccles when the canal was built in 1831.
Waymark Code: WMNMQR
Location: North West England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 04/05/2015
Views: 1
The Macclesfield Canal
The Macclesfield Canal was one of the last narrow canals to be built, indeed, it was very nearly built as a railway! A variety of ideas were proposed and the present canal was approved by Act of Parliament in April 1826. The route of the canal was surveyed by Thomas Telford and construction was engineered by William Crosley. The completed canal was opened on 9th November 1831 at a cost of £320,000.
The route takes the canal from Marple Junction with the Peak Forest Canal in the north 26¼ miles to the stop lock at Hall Green near Kidsgrove passing along the side of the most westerly Pennine hills through High Lane, Higher Poynton, Bollington, Macclesfield and Congleton, all in Cheshire, and Kidsgrove in Staffordshire in the south. Nowadays we normally regard the last 1½ miles to Harding's Wood Junction with the Trent & Mersey Canal as a part of the Macclesfield Canal although it was built as a branch of the T&MC.
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The Bridge
Aaron Eccles was an Attorney of Marple. In 1850 he owned land and property at the end of Hibbert Lane.
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When canals were built accommodation bridges were erected at places where the canal crossed someone's land and the bridge was built to provide them with access across the canal.
At some point the bridge was widened and a second arch attached to the original. That side of the bridge has been faced with stone to look as close as possible to the original stone bridge.