Stone Bridge 43 Over The Macclesfield Canal - Macclesfield, UK - Arch 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
This bridge is a Historic England Grade II Listed Building link with the following text "Road and roving bridge over canal. 1831. William Crosley, engineer. Roughly coursed and squared Kerridge stone, in smaller blocks above the string course. Built in 2 sections, with high road bridge with sloping parapet above string course, not accessible from tow path, and roving bridge carrying towpath across the canal built against its southern face. This has elliptical archway with voussoirs and keystone, and is semicircular in plan with gently graded ramp."

The roving part of the bridge that carries the tow path was designed so that horses could cross from one side of the canal to the other without have to disconnect the tow rope from the canal boat.

Macclesfield Golf Course is now to the east of the canal and the original road over the bridge is no longer used.

The canalis usually at its narrowest at bridges because this makes the bridge easier and cheaper to build. because of this these points are also useful for blocking the canal with stop planks when the canal needs to be drained for maintenance. This bridge has a stock of stop planks under a concrete cover on the north side of the bridge.

What type of traffic does this bridge support?: Pedestrians and cyclists What kind of gap does this bridge cross?: The Macclesfield Canal Date constructed: 1831 Is the bridge still in service for its original purpose?: yes for pedestrians, but no longer for horses or road traffic Name of road or trail the bridge services: Disused road on upper desc and Macclesfield Canal Towpath on lower deck Location: Macclesfield, Cheshire Length of bridge: Not listed Height of bridge: Not listed

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