Arch Bridge 101 On The Lancaster Canal - Lancaster, UK - Stone Bridges on Waymarking.com

The bridge originally had a single stone elliptical arch made from squared sandstone blocks. It is of a similar design to all the original bridges over the canal.

The canal has one of the most rural locations in the UK but at this point it is passing through Lancaster, the county town of Lancashire. As the town expanded the volume of traffic using the bridge expanded and 79 years after the bridge was built it was widened.

The original stone arch can still be seen, but on each side there is a small cast iron extension to the bridge. Each is inscribed "JOSEPH 1876 CLAYTON".

The Lancaster Canal
"The Lancaster Canal is a canal in the north of England, originally planned to run from Westhoughton in Lancashire to Kendal in south Cumbria (then in Westmorland). The section around the crossing of the River Ribble was never completed, and much of the southern end leased to the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, of which it is now generally considered part.

Of the canal north of Preston, only the section from Preston to Tewitfield near Carnforth in Lancashire is currently open to navigation for 42 miles (67.6 km.

The isolated northern part of the canal was finally connected to the rest of the English canal network in 2002 by the opening of the Ribble Link.

The remaining open part of the Lancaster Canal follows the same elevation contour on maps and is therefore free of locks." link

"The Millennium Ribble Link includes what was Great Britain's first inland waterway to be constructed in nearly 100 years when it was opened in July 2002, and was the first to be built for leisure purposes only, not commercial use. The 4-mile (6.4 km) link connects the once-isolated Lancaster Canal to the River Ribble. From the Ribble it is possible to reach the main navigable system via the River Douglas and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal's Rufford Branch subject to tides and weather conditions." link

Physical Location (city, county, etc.): Lancaster, Lancashire Road, Highway, Street, etc.: Nelson Street Water or other terrain spanned: The Lancaster Canal Architect/Builder: John Rennie / Joseph Clayton Construction Date: 1797 - widened in 1876

Visit Instructions:
Post one photo of the bridge that is a different view from the one on the page and describe your visit. Add any additional information that you may have about this bridge. A GPSr photo is NOT required.

Recent Visits/Logs:

There are no logs for this waymark yet.