Bridge 1 Over The Shropshire Union Canal (Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal - Main Line) - Autherley, UK
Posted by: dtrebilc
N 52° 36.955 W 002° 08.784
30U E 557791 N 5829887
This single arch stone bridge over the The Shropshire Union Canal (Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal - Main Line) carries the towpath of the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal at the junction of the two canals.
Waymark Code: WMYZKF
Location: West Midlands, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 08/15/2018
Views: 2
The Canal
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.
After the canal was built to Nantwich the Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal was built to connect Nantwich to Autherley near Wolverhampton. Eventually these canals and a number of others merged to form the Shropshire Union Canal.
The Bridge
The bridge is a Historic England Grade II Listed Building.
"Bridge. 1830. By Thomas Telford. Brick with stone dressings. Brick elliptical skew arch; stone-coped parapet on platt band; parapet to east swept forward; middle parapet divides off east part as roving bridge for horses using towpath. Oval iron plaque to east has figure: 1. The bridge is situated to the south-east end of the canal, where it joins the Staffordshire and Worcester Canal. (Hadfield C: The Canals of the West Midlands: London: 1969-: P.183-6)."
link
There is a milestone next to this bridge marking the end of the The Shropshire Union Canal (Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal - Main Line) and the distance to Nantwich at the other end.