Stone Bridge 44 Over The Macclesfield Canal - Macclesfield, UK
Posted by: dtrebilc
N 53° 14.432 W 002° 06.970
30U E 558983 N 5899392
This single arch bridge known as Leek Old Road Bridge carries Bullocks Lane over the Macclesfield Canal.
Waymark Code: WMR0F8
Location: North West England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 04/23/2016
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.
link
The Bridge
This bridge is a Historic England Grade II Listed Building
link with the following text "Road bridge over canal. c.1827. By Thomas Telford. Coursed rubble with ashlar dressings, single span. Front: cambered arch with voussoirs. Band below parapet and chamfered ashlar parapet. Curved retaining walls to either side terminating in piers. One half of this bridge lies in Macclesfield former M.B. (q.v.)"
The bridge crosses the canal near a slight bend in the canal and the west side of the bridge has damage to the arch where tow ropes have rubbed against the arch by horses pulling boats along the canal.