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.