Cut Bench Mark - Pottery Road Bridge - Wigan UK
Posted by: 
dtrebilc
N 53° 32.504 W 002° 38.365
30U E 523895 N 5932596
This cut bench mark is on the side of a roving bridge over the Leeds Liverpool Canal in the centre of Wigan and accessible from the canal towpath.
Waymark Code: WMPWK3
Location: North West England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 10/30/2015
Views: 1
The canal is 127.25 miles long and flows from the inland woollen town of Leeds to the coastal sea port of Liverpool, crossing the Pennines along the way. Work on the canal started in 1770 and built in a number of sections and was finally completed in 1816, including this section and bridge.
The bridge is also known as Pottery Changeline Bridge and is a Grade II
Listed building
with the following description.
"Roving bridge, now public road bridge, over Leeds-Liverpool Canal. Dated 1816 on north side of arch; for Leeds-Liverpool Canal Company, engineer John Rennie; widened in 2 stages during later C19. Original bridge of coursed sandstone blocks, additions of cast-iron. Semi-elliptical arch with rusticated voussoirs, those on the north side with a fluted keystone flanked by sunk panels which have raised lettering "OPENED 18" "16 OCT 22"; both sides now overhung by cast-iron additions (partly obscuring the lettering). Towpath runs through on east side, with restored ramp up north face to cobbled crossover deck carried on the cast-iron extension. Though largely obscured by the additions, the original bridge appears to be substantially intact, and the whole structure forms a striking feature of the site now known as Wigan Pier Heritage Centre".
The cut mark is on the South East side of the original stone bridge under the modern extensions. It is on the 3rd stone up from ground level, next to a wooden roller that protected the bridge from the tow ropes as the hoses passed by towing the canal boats.