Stone Bridge 12 Over A Macclesfield Canal Arm– High Lane, UK
Posted by: 
dtrebilc
N 53° 21.820 W 002° 04.576
30U E 561469 N 5913124
This stone bridge carries the towpath over a small arm of the Macclesfield Canal and was erected when the canal was built in 1831.
Waymark Code: WMNNZF
Location: North West England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 04/11/2015
Views: 1
The Macclesfield Canal
The Macclesfield Canal was one of the last narrow canals to be built, indeed, it was very nearly built as a railway! A variety of ideas were proposed and the present canal was approved by Act of Parliament in April 1826. The route of the canal was surveyed by Thomas Telford and construction was engineered by William Crosley. The completed canal was opened on 9th November 1831 at a cost of £320,000.
The route takes the canal from Marple Junction with the Peak Forest Canal in the north 26¼ miles to the stop lock at Hall Green near Kidsgrove passing along the side of the most westerly Pennine hills through High Lane, Higher Poynton, Bollington, Macclesfield and Congleton, all in Cheshire, and Kidsgrove in Staffordshire in the south. Nowadays we normally regard the last 1½ miles to Harding's Wood Junction with the Trent & Mersey Canal as a part of the Macclesfield Canal although it was built as a branch of the T&MC.
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The Bridge
This bridge is an English Heritage Grade II Listed Building
link " Canal bridge carrying towpath over arm of canal. c1830 with some C20 repairs. By William Crosley for the Macclesfield Canal Company. Coursed dressed sandstone with ashlar dressings ie to bridge arch, chamfered string at deck level and rounded coping to top (treatment differs to each parapet). Semi circular arch: revetement end in projecting square piers; the revetements to the canal side are curved. The deck is cobbled but this is probably part of the 1985 towpath improvements scheme."
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“The High Lane Arm leads off on the towing path side. Built to serve the coal pits in the area, this is now a private arm providing access to the North Cheshire Cruising Club (NCCC) headquarters located in the Macclesfield Canal Company warehouse.
The arm is also noted for the unique boat 'garages', complete with up and over doors, where the club members are able to moor their boats under cover.”
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The bridge is slightly curved. This reduced the sharp edges to stop the tow ropes snagging as the horses towed the canal boats. Marks can still be seen in the parapets of the bridge where the ropes rubbed against them.