The Royal George Canal Bridge

SADDLEWORTH

1673/0/10014 GREENFIELD 25-APR-02 The Royal George Canal Bridge

GV II

The Royal George Canal Bridge. Canal bridge. 1798 with later widening, associated with the Huddersfield Narrow Canal. Possibly by Benjamin Outram, Engineer. Millstone Grit with cast iron reinforcement, and cast iron lamp standard. One side is faced in rough ashlar, with heavy voussoirs. The other is constructed from large blocks of stone, resting on a cast iron girder in an unusual manner (compare Division Bridge nearby). The bridge spans both canal and tow-path. A subsidiary arch beneath the iron girder provides an outlet for a stream. HISTORY: this section of the Huddersfield Narrow Canal was built in 1796-97; this bridge was constructed to serve Gibb Mill, a fulling mill dating from the mid-1780s. The bridge was probably widened in the mid-1830s, when the cast iron girders, of interest in their own right, were inserted; the lamp may date from this time also, which saw the construction of the Royal George Mills. SOURCES: R.B. Schofield, 'William Outram' (2000).