Old Port Square Lift Bridge - Chester, UK
Posted by: 
dtrebilc
N 53° 11.565 W 002° 54.053
30U E 506622 N 5893717
This lift bridge is at the site of an old wharf on the Dee Branch of the Shropshire Union Canal.
Waymark Code: WMWFHD
Location: North West England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 08/28/2017
Views: 0
Before canals became popular in the UK there was a port on the River Dee at Chester.
After the Trent and Mersy Canal was built a loat of boat traffic diverted to the canal and Chester was worried about losing all its trade and so proposed a canal from the River Dee to connect to the Trent and Mersey Canal at Middlewich with a branch to Nantwich. However the Trent and Mersey Canal were unco-operative about a junction at Middlewich, and so the route to Nantwich was opened in 1779.
At this site the Chester Canal was very close to the River Dee and a nearby lock dropped the level of the canal down to the river.
A small port was built here so that cargoes could be trans shipped from the river boats to the canal boats. However by 1921 competition from roads and railways led to the closure of this port.
The Canal was extended a number of times and became the Shropshire Union Canal, which is still used today by leisure boaters, but this small branch that connects the main line of the canal to the River Dee is currently not used due to subsidence problems. There are however proposals to carry out repair work and restore the link.
When the area around the port was recently redeveloped with shops and apartments this lift bridge was installed in case the repair work does go ahead and the link restored.
Bridge Type: Drawbridge (Bascule Bridge)
Pedestrian Traffic: yes
Bicycle Traffic: yes
Vehicular Traffic: no
Railway Traffic: no
Built: Not listed
Span: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
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