Double Bridge At Lock No 66, Trent And Mersey Canal

The Double Bridge at Lock No 66 on the Trent and Mersey Canal is an accommodation bridge built around 1775 by engineer James Brindley, with the north arch added around 1830 under consultant Thomas Telford. This bridge provides access to the Lock House from Cottons Lane and allows the Lock Keeper to reach the double locks numbered 65 and 66. It is constructed from blue and red bricks and stonework. The south arch is segmental and made entirely of brick, featuring stone blocks set on end as rubbing blocks between the towpath and the springing line. The north arch is nearly elliptical and has rusticated stone dressing on the vertical and arched sections of the opening. A level carriageway band projects from the crown of the arch. Both arches are topped with a single unmarked stone block positioned between the extrados and the parapet coping. The rounded stone coping forms a level parapet wall, and the piers at the ends of the curved approach walls are capped with four-way rounded stones. Additionally, an extended low-level cutwater between the arches is part of the island situated between the two parallel locks.