'Ave a new bridge?

Monday, 09 November 2009 13:53

Sorry - the title is really bad!

Shroppie Bridges can be very attractive - not the new ones of course, but the old, traditional ones!

One of the most well known is Avenue Bridge (now see what I mean by the title?), built to appease a local landowner over the Shropshire Union Canal Company invading his land. In this case it was the owner of Chillington Hall. In those days the landed rich seemed to rule the earth and some of the most attractive bits of the system can be due to this need for "appeasement".

Avenue Bridge

There is a lovely view back too

Other "sops" I can think of off hand are Wide Water at Ladies (or Lady's) Bridge on the Kennet and Avon and Tixall Wide on the Staffs and Worcs. Both favourite "haunts" of ours! Wilcot's Wide Water is due to Lady Susannah Wroughton's demands. Tixall Wide was a result of negotiations with the Aston family from Tixall Estate who wanted a grand view!

Ladies bridge and Wide Water

Tixall Wide

A couple of other attractive Shroppie Bridges

Chillington Bridge

High Bridge (39) at High Offley - so often photographed

Not to be confused with this High Bridge (57)  in Woodseaves Cutting

The Shroppie is another of our favourite canals - as you may gather - and the further up you go the more there is to appreciate, including some lovely mooring spots. The moorings are excellent and well provided with rings, even if they are "out in the sticks".We like "out in the sticks", unless we need to be in or near a town for provisions, transport etc.

We have often wished that other canals had the same mooring facilities - it would be so easy to provide dedicated country moorings, with or without a shorter than 14 days "time limit"! A bit of dredging, vegetation management and mooring rings - not rocket science!