Bridge 126 Over The Shropshire Union Canal - Chester, UK
Posted by: 
dtrebilc
N 53° 11.683 W 002° 53.975
30U E 506708 N 5893935
This cast iron bridge over the canal carries the canal towpath from one side of the canal to the other.
Waymark Code: WMWFAH
Location: North West England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 08/27/2017
Views: 1
The Canal
Before canals became popular in the UK there was a port on the River Dee at Chester.
After the Trent and Mersy Canal was built a loat of boat traffic diverted to the canal and Chester was worried about losing all its trade and so proposed a canal from the River Dee to connect to the Trent and Mersey Canal at Middlewich
with a branch to Nantwich. However the Trent and Mersey Canal were unco-operative about a junction at Middlewich, and so the route to Nantwich was opened in 1779.
Later on in 1795 the Ellesmere Canal was built from Ellesmere Port to connect to the Chester Canal and later after other extensions various parts of the Canal were merged to form the Shropshire Union Canal.
The Bridge
This bridge is over a stretch of the canal which was originally part of the Ellesmere Canal, before it became the Shropshire Union Canal.
It is within the wharf area of the port which was constructed at the time the Ellesmere Canal Wwas joined to the Chester Canal and new wharves were constructed.
The bridge is a Historic England Grade II Listed Building.
"Roving bridge. c1800. Thomas Telford, consulting engineer. Cambered wrought-iron span on stone-coped brick abutments and ramps. A slightly curved approach-ramp from south on west bank; a spiral ramp south of the bridge on east bank leads down and under the bridge to towpath to north. Roving bridges enabled horses towing canal-boats to cross the canal and continue towing without being unhitched."
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