Broadreach Bridge On Aire and Calder Navigation - Eastmoor, UK - Stone Bridges on Waymarking.com

The Aire and Calder Navigation is a river and canal system of the River Aire and the River Calder in the metropolitan county of West Yorkshire, England. The first improvements to the rivers above Knottingley were completed in 1704 when the Aire was made navigable to Leeds and the Calder to Wakefield, by the construction of 16 locks. Lock sizes were increased several times, as was the depth of water, to enable larger boats to use the system.

Steam tugs were introduced in 1831. In the 1860s, compartment boats were introduced, later called Tom Puddings, from which coal was unloaded into ships by large hydraulic hoists. This system enabled the canal to carry at its peak more than 1.5 million tons of coal per year, and was not abandoned until 1986. To handle trains of compartments, many of the locks were lengthened to 450 feet (140 m).

Although much of the upper reaches are now designated as leisure routes, there is still significant commercial traffic on the navigation. 300,000 tons were carried in 2007, although most of the traffic is now petroleum and gravel, rather than the coal which kept the navigation profitable for 150 years. link

The Bridge
The bridge is near the southern junction of a canalised section of the Aire and Calder Navigation and the river Calder. It is just in front of flood lock, the northern gate of which is actually under the bridge and gives pedestrian access across the canal.

The bridge is a Historic England Grade II Listed Building.
"Floodlock gates and overbridge. Circa 1839 for the Aire and Calder Navigation Company. Ashlar bridge with brick-vaulted elliptical arch and a moulded band at base of parapet; pilaster buttresses to each side of the arch and at each end. The deeply-coursed, stone retaining walls of the canal are waisted under the bridge with a single pair of wooden lock gates." link

Physical Location (city, county, etc.): Eastmoor, Yorkshire Road, Highway, Street, etc.: Unnamed footpath Water or other terrain spanned: The Aire and Calder Navigation Construction Date: 1839 Architect/Builder: Not listed

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