Manchester Area
Caldon Canal, Hazelhurst Junction Aqueduct
Caldon Canal, Hazelhurst Junction. James Brindley Lock Footbridge
Caldon Canal, Hazelhurst Junction. N53o 4' 52" W2o 4' 46/3" Iron railing on overflow pool. Leek Branch on left.
Caldon Canal Hazelhurst Junction Roving Footbridge
Roving footbridge ramp and canal boat
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- Category: Manchester Area
Croal Viaduct, Bolton
CROAL VIADUCT 1847 Bolton nr. Manchester Lancashire HEW 251 SD722 093 N53o 34' 45.7" W2o 25' 15.2"
This railroad viaduct of many arches originally crossed a road, a river and a canal of which only the road, now a dual-carriageway, has survived - the river being now in a culvert and the canal now filled in. It was designed by Charles Vignoles. There are six masonry arches of thirty six feet each. The iron work in the four main arches of 76 feet are of iron work were cast by Ogle & Son of Preson. There are six ribs cast in three segments. The spandrels are plain with vertical supports and it has transverse bracing tie rods and barrel struts within them. This is a handsome and bold bridge
Also see: Grace's Guide to British Industrial History
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- Category: Manchester Area
EATON HALL 1824 Cheshire Thomas Telford SJ 418 601 HEW 856 SJ418 601 N52o 47' 30.2" W2o 1' 45.3"
PRIVATE PROPERTY This superbly cast iron single span arched bridge of four ribs which carries the private drive of Eaton Hall over the River Dee a few yards upstream from where the Roman road Watling Street crossed it at a ford. It was designed for the second Earl Grosvenor for his estate beside the village of Eccleston near Chester. It was either designed by Telford or his design for the Craigellachie Bridge was repeated by Hazledine. It is 17 feet wide and spans 150 feet. It has a subtle double horizontal curve and a lovely, crisp gothic design in the spandrels and a graceful, simple railing. It proudly names the team that built it: William Hazeldine, Contractor; William Stuttle, Clerk of Works; William Stuttl, Jr., Founder; William Crosley, Surveyor.
This is a private estate, so permission must be obtained to approach the bridge through the park. On the Chester circle road A55 take A483 exit toward Wexham and immediately turn right onto B5445 and then again immediately another right on to the unnumbered road to Eccleston. In Eccleston at the crossroads square with the cupola tower, take the west road (on the right) and go to the end where you will see the tall gilded iron gates of Eaton Hall and on the left a lane and public footpath to the River Dee. You can walk along the river to the bridge but it must be a good two mile hike.
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- Category: Manchester Area
CONGLETON AQUEDUCT SJ868 622 N53o 9' 23.9" W2o 12' 5.3" nr. Crewe, Cheshire 1831 Thomas Telford
This is one of a trio of similar iron aqueducts that Telford designed with bold sweeping masonry abutments complementing the iron trough carrying the canal across a road: this one, the nearby Nantwich Aqueduct ,and the Stretton Aqueduct. In this case, it carries the Macclesfield Canal across Canal Street in Congleton.
To find the aqueduct, go into Congleton town center and at the Roundabout, take the road that goes between the Library and Morrison's uphill to Market Street. Take a left there. You will see the masonry tower of the town hall just ahead on your right in the next block. On your right across the street from the town hall is a small lane named Canal Street where you turn and go up the hill about ¾ of a mile to the aqueduct.
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- Category: Manchester Area
BABYNS PARK BRIDGE at Marple (nr Manchester) 1813 SJ 903901 N53o 24' 31.5" W2o 3' 27.2"
This bridge was built over the River Goyt to carry the private carriage drive into the park of Babyn's Hall, home of Nathaniel Wright whose logo is incorporated into the parapet design. It may have been designed by William Sherratt and was cast by the Salford Iron Company. It has just been completely restored and reinforced with an unfortunate series of barriers and out-of-scale railings by Health and Safety since it is now a public parkland. However, the charming bridge is ready for another 200 years and from the right angle, one can ignore the obtrusive aspects. The Gate Lodge is still beside the bridge.
The bridge has three ribs of two segments whose combined span is 50 feet between the handsome masonry abutments with a width of 12 feet. The spandrels of the arch have the diminishing circle design. The date is crowned with a W motif.
To find the bridge off of the B6104 (Compstall Road), watch for The George pub. Just along to the west of the pub, on the same side of the street, you will see the public footpath sign pointing to a gravel road. The bridge will be about ¼ mile down that pedestrian road.
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- Category: Manchester Area
WATER STREET RR BRIDGE 1848 Manchester HEW 753 SJ 829 979 N 52o 47' 30.2 W2o 1' 45.3"
This cast iron bridge designed by George Stevenson with a six rib archs which were cast in three pieces and then bolted together at the butted ends. The ribs are dumb-bell shape in section almost seven inches wide and just over two feet in depth at the abutment thinning to just under two feet at the crown. The spandrels are in the X pattern, cruciform in section, and the parapets are "paneled" and decorated cast iron parapets. Cast iron floor plates carry the two tracks and sleepers of the Manchester South Junction and Altrincham RR across Water Street. It spans 50 feet at a slight angle.
You will find this bridge at the junction of Liverpool Road and Water Street beside the Victoria Railroad Station in the heart of Manchester.
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VICTORIA STATION BRIDGE Manchester 1844 & 1909 N53o 29’ 9.8” W2o 14’ 44.o”
The station was built in 1844 by George Stephenson and completed by John Brogden. It was enlarged by William Dawson in 1909. The viaduct must have been built in Stephenson’s day, but was probably redone by Dawson.
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STALYBRIDGE AQUEDUCT (Also known as the Stakes Aqueduct) 1801 SJ954 982 N53o 28' 52.1" W2o 4' 14.0"
Walking along the Huddersfield Narrow Boat Canal at Stalybridge in what is now a heavily industrial area of Manchester, one would hardly notice this pioneering aqueduct. It was the recommendation of Benjamin Outram that an iron trough should be used to replace a damaged masory aqueduct. His aqueduct was completed the same year that Thomas Telford was also using cast iron plates to line his Chirk Aqueduct carrying the Ellesmere Canal over the River Ceiriog. The iron work was likely provided by the Butterley Works. The trough still carries the canal over the River Tame 200 plus years later.
This is a very tricky place to find as it is buried far from a street in the midst of the St. Paul's Trading Estate. Pick up the tow path at Peel Street and follow it in a north westerly direction towards the River Tame. This is where a GPS on "pedestrian mode" is invaluable.
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NANTWICH AQUEDUCT nr. Crew, Cheshire 1830 Thomas Telford HEW 497 SJ642 526 N53o 4' 9.3" W2o 32' 7.6"
This aqueduct is one of a trio of similar cast iron trough aqueducts that Telford designed for three different canals: this one on the Ellesmere Canal, the nearby one at Congleton and the Stretton Aqueduct. He used six foot square flanged iron plates bolted together to create the trough which spans 29 l/2 feet and provides a 13 foot wide channel. This, like its sibling Telford aqueducts, is provided with bold masonry abutments making double graceful, sweeping curves on both facades that perfectly complement the simple iron box and give it drama. The crisp, simple cast iron railings tie the two materials together.
This aqueduct spans the A534 Nantwich-Chester road on the west side of town.
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HAZELHURST JUNCTION BRIDGE 1801 James Brindley Caldon Canal and Leek Branch N53o 4' 52" W2o 4' 46.3"
James Brindley (1716-1772) trained as a millwright but was soon recognized for his engineering skills especially with steam engines. He surveyed and laid out the first commercial English canal for the Duke of Bridgewater in 1765. To save time and money, he laid out his canals along contour lines which avoided tunneling and making cuts but which also made them very curvey and lengthy. He invented the narrow lock with a single upper gate and double lower gates in the dimension of seven feet six inches in width and six feet seven inches in length which set the design of canals and locks and the 'narrow boat' for generations. He also invented puddle clay to seal the canal bed. It was his vision to link the four great rivers of England with canals: a project eventually carried out by his successor civil engineers.
Brindley lived most of his life in Leek. There is little documentation about this charming roving bridge Number 35 where the Leek Branch splits off from the Caldon Canal and doubles back on itself to cross the Caldon Canal on the bold painted brick aqueduct just east of the junction. The Leek Branch was completed in 1801 by Brindley's son-in-law. However, the Hazelhurst Junction was given new locks in 1841 so it is hard to date the iron bridge. Note the whimsical curves on the ends of the fence around the pool and the circle motif in the supports for the lock foot bridge.
To find the junction, take Denford Road off A53 (there is a boarded up pub on the corner at this time). Immediately after the second hump-back brick road bridge, turn right into the Hollybush Inn parking lot and start walking the tow path past the front of the Inn for about ten minutes. You will come to the arched brick aqueduct which carries the branch canal over the main canal, but continue on five more minutes to the head of the junction.
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- Category: Manchester Area