Arch Bridge 50 Over The Macclesfield Canal - Gawsworth, UK
Posted by: dtrebilc
N 53° 12.889 W 002° 07.992
30U E 557881 N 5896517
This single arch bridge known as Mottersheads Bridge was erected when the canal was built in 1830 and is an accommodation bridge for a nearby farm.
Waymark Code: WMR0EQ
Location: United Kingdom
Date Posted: 04/23/2016
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.
link
The Bridge
This bridge is a Historic England Grade II Listed Building
link with the following text "Canal accomodation bridge. c 1830. Engineer William Crosley. Coursed sandstone blocks (narrower to parapet) with ashlar dressings. Horseshoe eliptical arch with voussoirs and a stressed keystone that rises to a chamfered band at deck level. Walling/parapet terminates in squared piers: coping to parapet. Stone steps to south side lead up to road/deck level: gate across bridge deck. One in a series of fine bridges (and mileposts) on the Macclesfield canal."
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.