Bridge 27 Over The Caldon Canal - Stanley, UK
Posted by: dtrebilc
N 53° 04.300 W 002° 06.800
30U E 559405 N 5880610
This brick bridge carries a footpath over the Caldon canal and is known as Doles Bridge.
Waymark Code: WM11JZ4
Location: East Midlands, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 11/03/2019
Views: 2
The Caldon Canal
The Caldon Canal opened in 1779 to carry Peak District limestone, from the quarries at Cauldon Low, down to the Potteries and the industrial Midlands. A short branch was built 18 years later connceting the Caldon with the town of Leek. Another branch extended the navigation to Uttoxeter but this lasted only until 1845 when it was closed and replaced with a railway line.
Freight traffic deserted the Caldon shortly after the construction of a parallel railway line and the canal became virtually unnavigable by the 1960s. Enthusiasts were justifiably vocal in clamouring for its restoration and it was brought back into use in 1974.
The Uttoxeter Branch still lies derelict but work has recently started on rebuilding the very first lock. Similarly, the final mile of the Leek Branch is no longer navigable, but plans are now being hatched to restore navigation across a surviving aqueduct further towards the town."
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This bridge has been painted white which is unusual for this canal. It is close to the site of a former mill which has now been demolished. The mill supplied ceramic glaze and colours to the ceramics industry.
Close to this static bridge there was a swing bridge with a railway line on it that connected a branch line to the mill to transport the goods.
The central pivot of the swing bridge still stands in the middle of the canal and acts as a traffic island for the canal boats.