Bridge 152 Over Trent & Mersey Canal - Wheelock, UK
Posted by: dtrebilc
N 53° 07.780 W 002° 22.089
30U E 542276 N 5886880
This twin arch brick built bridge is an accommodation bridge over the Trent & Mersey Canal
Waymark Code: WMW7HP
Location: North West England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 07/20/2017
Views: 2
The Trent and Mersey Canal
The Trent and Mersey Canal was the UK's first long distance canal and as the name suggests was built to give a connection to the Rivers Trent and Mersey. (Access to the Mersey was actually via the Bridgewater Canal with some locks at Runcorn that no longer exist).
It opened in 1777 and is 93.5 miles (150.5 km) long and stretches from its connection with the Bridgewater Canal at Preston Brook to its connection with the River Trent at Derwent Mouth.
The Bridge
The bridge stands in front of lock 66. The lock was originally a single chamber lock and the bridge a single arch bridge. However when the number of boats using the canal increased, a second chamber was added to the lock and a second arch to extend the bridge.
The bridge is a Historic England Grade II Listed Building.
"Accommodation bridge, south arch, circa 1775 by James Brindley, Engineer, north arch with the duplication of locks circa 1830, Thomas Telford, Consultant. This bridge gives access to Lock House from Cottons Lane and afforded the Lock Keeper access to double locks numbered 65 and 66. Blue and red bricks and stonework. The earlier south arch is segmental and wholly of brickwork, but there are blocks of stone set on end as rubbing blocks between tow path and springing line. The north arch is almost elliptical and has rusticated stone dressing to the vertical and arched sections of the opening. This bridge has a projecting, level, carriageway band sitting on the crown of the arch. Both arches are surmounted by single unmarked stone block midway between extrados and parapet coping. Rounded stone coping to level parapet wall and four way rounded caps to the piers at the ends of the curved approach walls. The extended low level cutwater between the arches is part of the island between the two parallel locks."
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