GU Bridges 100 & 101 (Willowbridge to Stoke Hammond)

[Psycloud]

Between Willowbridge (Bridge 99) and Stoke Hammond on the Grand Union, Bridges 100 and 101 are missing.  There doesn't seem to be any evidence of where they once were and assume they were removed during widening (or may be some other reason?) - is there a map showing where they once stood?

Thanks

David

[Richard T]

Have you tried using the National Library of Scotlands mapping service. You can view a current map alongside a choice of old OS maps. This link takes you to the right area. http://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/#zoom=15&lat=51.9521&lon=-0.7085&layers=6&right=BingHyb

The web site is one of my favourite ways of wasting time on the internet!!

[alan_fincher]

What "widening".

AFAIK, the canal has never been widened.

[Laurence Hogg]

Two swing bridges are now missing according to the map.

[magnetman]

3 hours ago, Richard T said:

Have you tried using the National Library of Scotlands mapping service. You can view a current map alongside a choice of old OS maps. This link takes you to the right area. http://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/#zoom=15&lat=51.9521&lon=-0.7085&layers=6&right=BingHyb

The web site is one of my favourite ways of wasting time on the internet!!

That's great !

 

Edited October 22, 2017 by magnetman

[Psycloud]

Thank you for the replies, glad that’s been cleared up . Not sure why I thought it had been widened, probably because there are huge concrete edging stones which made me think major works had taken place at some point. 

[alan_fincher]

I think it is probable, (though I have not been through old maps to check), that a lot of the missing bridge numbers on the Southern GU may relate to former swing bridges.

Clearly a few survive as working examples (Winkwell and Seabrook), some derelict (2 near Leighton Buzzard), and some with just the narrowing (e.g. Nether Heyford), but I suspect there were once probably a lot more. 

There is also the one across Fenny lock, and of course Cosgrove lock used to have one as well.

A passage up the GU would be quite different if all were still present, and normally left closed to canal traffic!