Bridge 15 Over The Caldon Canal - Birches Head, UK
Posted by: 
dtrebilc
N 53° 02.333 W 002° 08.967
30U E 557029 N 5876934
This brick single arch bridge carries Birches Head Road over the canal and is known as Birches Head Road Bridge.
Waymark Code: WM106A1
Location: West Midlands, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 03/06/2019
Views: 2
The Caldon Canal
The Caldon Canal opened in 1779 to carry Peak District limestone, from the quarries at Cauldon Low, down to the Potteries and the industrial Midlands. A short branch was built 18 years later connceting the Caldon with the town of Leek. Another branch extended the navigation to Uttoxeter but this lasted only until 1845 when it was closed and replaced with a railway line.
Freight traffic deserted the Caldon shortly after the construction of a parallel railway line and the canal became virtually unnavigable by the 1960s. Enthusiasts were justifiably vocal in clamouring for its restoration and it was brought back into use in 1974.
The Uttoxeter Branch still lies derelict but work has recently started on rebuilding the very first lock. Similarly, the final mile of the Leek Branch is no longer navigable, but plans are now being hatched to restore navigation across a surviving aqueduct further towards the town."
link
The bridge is quite narrow and as road traffic increased a pedestrian bridge has been built alongside this bridge.
The parapet of the bridge is in a different colour brick and looks newer than the rest of the bridge, although it does have an inscribed bridge number stone embedded in it.