Arch Bridge 75 Over The Macclesfield Canal - Congleton, UK
Posted by: 
dtrebilc
N 53° 09.438 W 002° 11.578
30U E 553963 N 5890073
This single arch stone bridge carried the old route of Park Lane, high over the Macclesfield Canal.
Waymark Code: WMR0WF
Location: North West England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 04/25/2016
Views: 5
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.
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The Bridge
This bridge is a single arch stone bridge in the centre of Congleton close to Congleton Railway station. It carried the old line of Park Lane (A527) but has now been replaced by a much wider and higher concrete bridge.
A railway bridge carrying trains into the station also crosses the canal close to here, giving this bridge a very enclosed feel.
The reason for the concrete bridge was that the road over this bridge crossed the nearby railway line at the same level and had a barrier controlled level crossing across the railway causing congestion.
The bridge is still in use but the road no longer crosses the railway.