
Bridge 134 Over Shropshire Union Canal - Caughall, UK
Posted by:
dtrebilc
N 53° 14.013 W 002° 52.819
30U E 507988 N 5898258
This cast iron single span arch bridge carries Caughall Road over the Shropshire Union Canal.
Waymark Code: WMWC15
Location: North West England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 08/11/2017
Views: 1
The Shropshire and Union Canal
The first part of the canal between Ellesmere Port and Chester was started in 1795 and then later extended.
"The canal lies in the counties of Staffordshire, Shropshire and Cheshire in the north-west midlands of England. It links the canal system of the West Midlands, at Wolverhampton, with the River Mersey and Manchester Ship Canal at Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, 66 miles (106 km) distant.
The "SU main line" runs southeast from Ellesmere Port on the River Mersey to the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal at Autherley Junction in Wolverhampton. Other links are to the Llangollen Canal (at Hurleston Junction), the Middlewich Branch (at Barbridge Junction), which itself connects via the Wardle Canal with the Trent and Mersey Canal, and the River Dee (in Chester). With two connections to the Trent and Mersey (via the Middlewich Branch and the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal) the SU is part of an important circular and rural holiday route called the Four Counties Ring.
The SU main line was the last trunk narrow canal route to be built in England. It was not completed until 1835 and was the last major civil engineering accomplishment of Thomas Telford."
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The bridge
This bridge is known locally as the Pretty Bridge and is unusual along this stretch of the canal. Apart from modern concrete road bridges built in the 20th century to improve the wider road network, all the other bridges over the canal serving local villages and farms are brick built, single arch bridges.