Bridge 64 Over The Staffordshire And Worcestershire Canal - Oxley, UK
Posted by: dtrebilc
N 52° 36.506 W 002° 08.715
30U E 557880 N 5829056
This twin arch bridge is at the Aldersley junction of the canal with the Birmingham canal navigation and is known as Aldersley Bridge.
Waymark Code: WMZ1HD
Location: West Midlands, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 08/26/2018
Views: 4
The Canal
The Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal is a navigable narrow canal in Staffordshire and Worcestershire in the English Midlands. It is 46 miles (74 km) long, linking the River Severn at Stourport in Worcestershire with the Trent and Mersey Canal at Haywood Junction by Great Haywood.
At this point the canal is a short section between Autherley Junction with the Shropshire Union Canal and Addersley Junction with the Birmingham Canal Navigation.
The Bridge
The bridge is a Historic England Grade II Listed Building.
"Roving bridge. 1770s. By James Brindley with S. Simcock and T. Dadford, engineers. Brick with stone coping. Brick elliptical arch with round-arched passage to east; stone-coped parapet to south swept forward and down; parapet to north swept to west only; approx 5m wide. Bridge spans Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal immediately to north of junction with Birmingham Canal."
link
The bridge at the junction of the two canals carries the towpath to allow movement between the canals. A roving bridge was designed to allow horses towing boats to cross over the bridge without unhitching the rope from the boat.
At this point the Birmingham Canal has a series of 21 locks that drop the canal 132 feet down to the city of Wolverhampton. Joined on to the bridge is a former toll house and lock keepers cottage and the smaller arch gave access from these buildings to the Birmingham Canal.