Bridge 14 Over Shropshire Union Canal (Middlewich Branch) - Church Minshull, UK
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member dtrebilc
N 53° 08.538 W 002° 29.559
30U E 533936 N 5888220
This brick built, single arch bridge carries Cross Lane over the Middlewich Branch of the Shropshire Union Canal.
Waymark Code: WMX10X
Location: North West England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 11/10/2017
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member Dorcadion Team
Views: 0


The Canal
The Middlewich Branch of the Shropshire Union Canal runs between Middlewich, where it joins the Trent and Mersey Canal, and Barbridge Junction, where it joins the main line of the Shropshire Union Canal.

It is 10 miles (16 km) long, and was planned as part of the Chester Canal, which was authorised in 1772, but the company ran out of money, and construction did not begin until 1827. The Trent and Mersey insisted that there should be no direct connection at Middlewich, and instead built the short Wardle Canal to join the two, charging large compensation tolls for traffic passing along it.

The canal became part of the Shropshire Union system in 1846, which was taken over by the London and North Western Railway within a year. Traffic on the branch was always limited by the compensation tolls, and it was not until 1888 that they were abolished. The canal was the location for trials with locomotive haulage of boats in 1888, using a narrow-gauge engine from Crewe railway works, but no further action was taken. The canal became part of the London Midland and Scottish Railway in 1923. The railway company closed 175 miles (282 km) of canals in 1944, but the Shropshire Union main line and the Middlewich Branch were spared, and passed into the jurisdiction of the British Waterways Board following nationalisation in 1948.

The canal follows a delightful rural route through farmland across Cheshire, with a short urban section near the junction at Middlewich. Many of the structures are original, and consequently, most of them are grade II listed. There is no commercial traffic on the waterway, but transition to the leisure age has resulted in two marinas being constructed to provide moorings for pleasure craft. link

The Bridge
The bridge is a Historic England Grade II Listed Building.
"Canal bridge circa 1830*. A highway bridge over the Middlewich spur of the Shropshire Union Canal which links the Trent and Mersey Canal at Middlewich with the Shropshire Union Canal at Barbridge. Skew arched soffite, in English Bond, of hard burnt mainly blue bricks rising from level brick base 3'0" high. Stone band at carriageway level and stone coping on parapet of English Garden Wall Bond which has curves of slight radius towards end piers." link

What type of traffic does this bridge support?: Motor vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists

What kind of gap does this bridge cross?:
The Middlewich Branch of the Shropshire Union Canal


Date constructed: 1830

Is the bridge still in service for its original purpose?: Yes

Name of road or trail the bridge services: Cross Lane

Location:
Church Minshull, Cheshire


Length of bridge: Not listed

Height of bridge: Not listed

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