Arch Bridge 51 Over The Macclesfield Canal - Gawsworth, UK - Stone Bridges on Waymarking.com

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. link

The Bridge
The bridge is a single arch stone bridge that straddles both the canal and the towpath. It is of a similar design to all such bridges built when the canal opened in 1831.

The canal is usually at its narrowest near to bridges to make the cheaper and easier to build. This also means that they are convenient places for stop planks used when the canal needs to be drained for maintenance. This is one of the bridges that has stop planks stored next to it.

Physical Location (city, county, etc.): Gawsworth, Cheshire Road, Highway, Street, etc.: Cowbrook Lane Water or other terrain spanned: The Macclesfield Canal Architect/Builder: William Crosley Construction Date: 1831

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