I think boaters are determined to extend the summer season as long as possible. There is still lots of activity on the canal. I passed this rather smart narrowboat on my walk back from the Five Rise Locks in Bingley one day. It was moored not far from the bridge by The Fisherman's pub.
The bridge itself is rather a nice one, a grade II listed structure known as the Scourer Bridge, 205. It carries Dowley Gap Lane over the Leeds-Liverpool Canal. The listing makes it sound rather grand: 'Road-bridge. Mid-late C18. Hammer-dressed stone. Single horse-shoe elliptical arch with dressed and chamfered voussoirs. Coped parapet aligned to the slope of the hill'. I had to look up 'voussoirs'; they turn out to be the wedge-shaped stones used to construct the arch. (Note to self: A word to remember when playing Scrabble!) The Scourer Bridge is a rather narrow bridge for today's traffic. I do hope they don't one day demolish it and widen it.
Through the arch, you might just be able to see the lock at Dowley Gap.
Nearer to Bingley, a rather different and much more recent bridge carries Ferncliffe Road over the canal. It replaces an older bridge, and was constructed when the road layout was changed to allow the Bingley 'bypass' to pass through the valley. It's not especially photogenic but I quite enjoyed the shapes created by the walls, bridge, towpath and reflections.
The towpath with bordering stones looks really nice. Certainly this is all new; when I cycled through it was a puddly muddly mess! After the war the canal was worn out from heavy traffic and nil maintenance. And now today many parts look gorgeous! The trees and greenery have intensified greatly since the Clean Air Act.
ReplyDeleteI too have searched for "voussoirs" new to me. It appears to be a "terme technique" used by stonemasons.
ReplyDeleteI love the first bridge!
ReplyDeletevoussoirs! first time hearing it. it's a beautiful word~
ReplyDeleteBeautiful--but is this the new blog? This is where the link took me.
ReplyDeleteYes, Vicki. It is the new blog.
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