Ancholme Tow Path Bridge At Tf 010990, Caistor Canal

359/0/10001 02-APR-04

SOUTH KELSEY Ancholme tow path bridge at TF 010990, Caistor Canal

GV II

Canal towpath bridge. c.1793-5. Ashlar abutments of fine large blocks. Simple C20 steel span.

HISTORY. The Caistor Canal was built under an Act of Parliament of 1793 following the survey of the engineer William Jessop in 1792. It was disused by 1877. It ran from the River Ancholme Navigation eastward towards the town of Caistor, but only about half was constructed and it reached to the village of Moortown, a distance of about 4.5 miles. C19 OS maps show six locks. The highest of these, near the basin at Moortown, had totally disappeared by the 1960's together with any other remains of a wharf, basin, or buildings there might once have been at the village end. However the other five locks survive and are complete except for gates and paddle gear. A former bridge at South Kelsey has been replaced but this foot or horse bridge carrying the tow path of the Ancholme over the entrance to the canal survives. The span is of C20 steel and not of special architectural interest but it rests on abutments of stone which are similar to those of the locks (q.v.). This bridge forms a group with Lock No. 1. The whole series of these locks and bridge is a significant survival of C18 canal engineering and displays an impressive quality of construction.