Bridge 26 Over The Shropshire Union Canal (Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal - Main Line) - High Onn, UK
Posted by: dtrebilc
N 52° 45.133 W 002° 15.000
30U E 550620 N 5844971
This single arch brick bridge is a combined turnover bridge and road bridge for a nearby farm over the Shropshire Union Canal (Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal - Main Line) and is known as Turnover Bridge.
Waymark Code: WMYXXN
Location: West Midlands, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 08/08/2018
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.
After the canal was built to Nantwich the Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal was built to connect Nantwich to Authley near Wolverhampton. Eventually these canals and a number of others merged to form the Shropshire Union Canal.
The Bridge
The bridge is a Historic England Grade II Listed Building.
"Turnover bridge, skew-built. c1830-33. telford design. Brick, with stone band and brick and stone copings. Single elliptical arch with saw-toothed brick arch ring. South parapet continues into low, curving wing walls. Slightly cambered north parapet, with piers. 2 iron rope fenders. Brick paved towpath beneath bridge."
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Turnover bridges are used when the towpath switches sides on the canal. They were designed with ramps on each side of the canal to allow the horses that were used to tow the canal boats to cross the bridge without disconnecting the towing rope.
An unusual feature on some turnover bridges on this canal is that the bridge also carries a road over the top of the bridge and a wall in the middle of the bridge separates the road and towpath.