Railway Bridge Over Leeds and Liverpool Canal at Ainscough's Mill

A railway bridge, built in 1848 for the East Lancashire Railway and altered in the early 20th century for the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway. The bridge spans the Leeds and Liverpool Canal at Ainscough's Mill. It is constructed of squared, rock-faced limestone abutments with dressed stone capping, cast iron face girders in four panels, and steel plate girders. Decorative cast iron railings sit above the girders. Each face girder is inscribed with "JOSEPH BUTLER & Co STANNINGLEY IRON WORKS Nr LEEDS 1848." The steel plate girders, which now carry the track, date from the early 20th century. The bridge exemplifies a cast iron railway bridge that was partially replaced with steel, a common occurrence following the collapse of the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway's Portland Road bridge in Croydon in 1891. The outer faces retain the original appearance, with dated girders bearing the maker’s name and complete railings. The bridge forms part of a series crossing the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and has group value with the nearby Ainscough's Mill. Originally built as part of the East Lancashire Railway, which opened in 1849, the company became part of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway in 1859. The track was reduced to a single line in the 1960s, but the line remains open.