Manchester to Leeds Railway Line Disused bridge over Rochdale Canal

The disused railway bridge over the Rochdale Canal was built in 1838 for the Manchester and Leeds Railway, which opened in 1839. George Stephenson was the Superintendent, and the bridge was engineered by Thomas Gooch. It features cast-iron and wrought-iron bowstring truss girders supported by stone abutments, with later wrought-iron remedial work added in the late 19th century. The bridge is skewed and has convex-bottomed cast-iron beams spanning between the principal girders. Additional wrought-iron beams were installed between each of the original beams, bolted to the principal girders, which have open painted arcades and incorporate arched compression members. These girders were pre-cast in several sections and bolted together, with wrought-iron tension rods forming the bow-strings that complete the trusses. The decorated spandrels feature pierced quatrefoils and daggers, creating a Tudor arch below the principal girders. The large square abutment piers on the west side were removed when a new bridge was constructed next to the old one, but the later bridge is not included in this listing.