Stone Bridge 74A Over Leeds Liverpool Canal - Chorley, UK
Posted by: 
dtrebilc
N 53° 38.469 W 002° 36.813
30U E 525549 N 5943667
The Leeds Liverpool canal is the longest canal in Northern England.
Waymark Code: WMQE56
Location: North West England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 02/14/2016
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.
This bridge is a Historic England Grade II Listed Building with the following text "Skew bridge carrying Bolton and Preston railway over Leeds-Liverpool canal, c.184O. Gritstone and ashlar. Single skewed elliptical arch between buttressed approach abutments with string course and parapet, the buttresses continued as piers in the straight ashlar coping. The soffit of the arch is composed of winding courses of white masonry, the outer ends of which are finished as slightly rusticated voussoirs to the faces of the bridge: good example of skilled design and construction."
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Like many of the bridges on this canal the arch stones are painted white to help boat owners judge their approach through the bridge. In addition because the bridge straddles the tow path on one side of the canal the bridge keystone is not in the middle of the canal. A vertical white line painted on the bridge parapet indicates the middle of the canal itself to further aid navigation.