Bridge 12 Over The Rochdale Canal - Mytholmroyd, UK
Posted by: 
dtrebilc
N 53° 43.950 W 001° 59.050
30U E 567012 N 5954239
This single arch stone bridge carries Westfield Terrace over the Rochdale Canal and is known as Red Acre Bridge.
Waymark Code: WM11RRC
Location: Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 12/12/2019
Views: 3
The Canal History
The Rochdale Canal was completed in 1804 and is one of three canals that cross the Pennine hills. This is the only one that doesn’t use tunnels. In addition it was a broad canal with bridges and locks that allowed boats of 14 feet width to pass through.
The one downside of not using tunnels is that it originally had 92 locks. These days two of them have been combined into one deep lock in front of this tunnel.
Competition from railways and roads subsequently led to a decline in goods being carried and by 1937 the only section left in operation was at the Manchester end of the canal.
In 1965 there was talk of abandoning the canal but by this time leisure boating had become very popular in the UK and there was a campaign to keep it open. Work was started and the canal slowly re-opened in a number of different stages.
Details of the bridge
This is bridge number 12 on The Rochdale Canal and was built around 1798 by Jessop and Crossley engineers. This is at the time that the part of the canal between Sowerby Bridge and Rochdale was opened, earlier than some other parts of the canal.
The bridge is a Historic England Grade II Listed Building.
"Redacre Bridge G.V. II Bridge, c.1800. Hammer dressed stone supporting walls. Dressed stone voussoirs to single horse-shoe elliptical arch. Dressed stone parapet with cappings and projecting buttressed piers to either end."
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