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What’s the history of this building.


Nightwatch

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2 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

Swerving off at a tangent, I think it's an ordinary bridge rather than a turnover bridge.

 

But it's an interesting and possibly unique bridge for a different reason. It's a double bridge with a wall down the centre. So boaters and walkers, horses etc can cross from one side of the canal to the other, and at the same time the bridge is an accommodation bridge for the farmer whose livestock can also pass from one side to the other without mixing with towpath traffic or escaping onto the towpath.

 

I've never noticed a canal bridge like this anywhere else, but maybe there are loads. 

 

 

Someone said the same to me and since then I have spotted about 4 like it

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1 hour ago, MtB said:

 

Swerving off at a tangent, I think it's an ordinary bridge rather than a turnover bridge.

 

But it's an interesting and possibly unique bridge for a different reason. It's a double bridge with a wall down the centre. So boaters and walkers, horses etc can cross from one side of the canal to the other, and at the same time the bridge is an accommodation bridge for the farmer whose livestock can also pass from one side to the other without mixing with towpath traffic or escaping onto the towpath.

 

I've never noticed a canal bridge like this anywhere else, but maybe there are loads. 

 

 


It’s a turnover bridge because the towpath used to transit from the GU direction onto the south Oxford, and vice versa, crosses over it.

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I believe it’s a turnover bridge too for traffic travelling between Braunston locks from Calcutt/ Napton way? 
 

Hadn’t realised the wall was separating two paths, very interesting - can’t see it from this picture- the taller wall seemed to be the other side of the bridge structure? 216B6820-C0DE-4E25-A6F5-0D064CA6B1FF.jpeg.fcef2f3a0128e5d204c617c03f2641b7.jpeg

Edited by Stroudwater1
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45 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

 

THIS is what I know as a "Turnover bridge":

 

 

image.png.803014c483f3ef80b7493bdd257c8586.png

 

 

Original image here: https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1298598

 
That’s just a specific design of turnover bridge that is also referred to as a “snake bridge” or a “roving bridge”. Common on the Macclesfield and maybe some other places but having the essential feature of ramps on the same elevation of the bridge so that a horse can cross sides of the canal without unhitching the tow line. The bridge at Braunston has the same key feature, it’s just not as exaggerated in its design.

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1 hour ago, MtB said:

 

 

THIS is what I know as a "Turnover bridge":

 

 

image.png.803014c483f3ef80b7493bdd257c8586.png

 

 

Original image here: https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1298598

The Braunston bridge has the same features, if not quite so curvaceous. Unlike your Macclesfield example, it also has to accommodate the towpath coming from the North Oxford (coming in from the right in this picture).

zd_e7y.jpg

  • Greenie 1
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This is also a turnover bridge, at Uxbridge Lock, on the GU.  The towpath above the bridge is on the right hand side, in front of the lock cottage. Our mooring was accessed through the tall chain link gate, visible immediately adjacent to the bridge parapet.

 

image.png.bdd7e72562e358433538f596e5c036a0.png

 

 

Edited by David Schweizer
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10 minutes ago, David Schweizer said:

This is what I know as a turnover bridge, at Uxbridge Lock, on the GU. Our mooring was accessed through the chain link gate, visible immediately adjacent to the bridge parapet.

 

image.png.bdd7e72562e358433538f596e5c036a0.png

 

 

Surely the whole point of a turnover bridge was that it could be used without disconnecting the line from the oss 🤔

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5 minutes ago, Loddon said:

Surely the whole point of a turnover bridge was that it could be used without disconnecting the line from the oss 🤔

 

Not always, at some bridges the horse had to be unhitched before the boat passed under the bridge. The bridge which MtB showed is a turnover bridge which, I believe, is known as a "Snake Bridge" and are more common on Northern Canals.

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1 hour ago, David Schweizer said:

 

Not always, at some bridges the horse had to be unhitched before the boat passed under the bridge. The bridge which MtB showed is a turnover bridge which, I believe, is known as a "Snake Bridge" and are more common on Northern Canals.


In the case of that at Uxbridge the presence of the lock renders the benefit of not unhitching the horse moot.

 

However such a bridge lacks the ‘turn’ element; it’s more of a crossover bridge.

 

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9 hours ago, Stroudwater1 said:

I believe it’s a turnover bridge too for traffic travelling between Braunston locks from Calcutt/ Napton way? 
 

Hadn’t realised the wall was separating two paths, very interesting - can’t see it from this picture- the taller wall seemed to be the other side of the bridge structure? 216B6820-C0DE-4E25-A6F5-0D064CA6B1FF.jpeg.fcef2f3a0128e5d204c617c03f2641b7.jpeg

image.png.4d742cfdae3c24168848800c1559c2f7.pngFrom Google maps

 

  • Greenie 2
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