Stone Bridge 12 On The Peak Forest Canal – Woodley, UK - Arch Bridges on Waymarking.com

The Peak Forest Canal
It is a narrow canal constructed between 1794 and 1805 and is fourteen miles long. It connects Buxworth with Dukinfield where it joins the Ashton Canal. The sixteen locks near the town of Marple raise the canal a height of 210 feet in a distance of 1 mile.

The advent of the railways and later modern roads led to the decline of the canal and it fell into disuse between 1920 and 1960. An upsurge in leisure boat use led to the canal being restored and reopened in 1974.

The Bridge
The bridge is known as Woodley Bridge. At this point on the edge of the town of Woodley there existed a number of mills. Originally the mills were water powered using streams that fed into the nearby River Tame.

After the arrival of the canal transport became easier and the area developed and wharves built next to the canal. The bridge gave access to this industrial complex, but these days only one of the mills is still operational. link

The bridge is on a slight bend in the canal and in the days when boats were towed by horses, the tow ropes wore grooves in the bridge supports. In order to protect the stone work metal bars were attached to each side of the bridge. The metal bars are no longer attached but the metal fixing points are still there reminding us of the early history of the canal.

The bridge was made an English Heritage Grade II Listed Building in 1985 and the listing tells us that the bridge has a horseshoe shaped arch. link

What type of traffic does this bridge support?: Motor vehicles, bikes and pedestrians What kind of gap does this bridge cross?: The Peak Forest canal Is the bridge still in service for its original purpose?: Yes Name of road or trail the bridge services: Bankfield Road Location: Woodley, Tameside Length of bridge: Not listed Height of bridge: Not listed Date constructed: Not listed

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