The Fund Britain’s Waterways campaign has picked out another of the historic bridges on the Trent and Mersey Canal, this time at Middlewich.
Bridge 167, over King’s Lock
Bridge 167 is a late 18th-century, Grade II listed accommodation bridge in Middlewich. What makes it a little unusual is that it crosses the canal directly over the lower entrance of King’s Lock, so boats pass beneath it as they leave the lock. Accommodation bridges like this were built to let a landowner reach both sides of their property after the canal had cut through it. There are hundreds of them across the network, and most go unremarked, but they are part of what keeps the waterways working and worth looking after. The campaign shared it on the Fund Britain’s Waterways Facebook group.
Why the campaign matters
Fund Britain’s Waterways is a coalition of organisations speaking up for the hundreds of thousands of people who use and love Britain’s canals and rivers. Structures like Bridge 167 have stood for well over two centuries, but keeping them safe and navigable depends on maintenance, and maintenance depends on money. The campaign is pressing for sustainable, long-term government funding so that the network is not left to decline lock by lock and bridge by bridge.
If you would like to help, sign the petition at change.org and share it using #FundBritainsWaterways. You can also read more about the campaign here.
