Bridge Number 71 Massey'S Bridge

Massey's Bridge, also known as Bridge Number 71, is a canal bridge built around 1830 by engineers Thomas Telford and Alexander Easton. It is constructed of limewashed red brick with some blue brick dressings. The bridge features an elliptical arch with a humped-back shape, a chamfered stone string, and a parapet that has square end piers and rounded stone coping. The abutments are slightly battered and curved. On the towpath side, there are cast-iron corner posts that show grooves from rope haulage, and an oval cast-iron number plate is located on the south side. This section of the canal was part of the Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal, which was authorized by an act in 1826 and opened in 1835. It was later absorbed by the Ellesmere and Chester Canal in 1845 and became part of the Shropshire Union Canal in 1846. The bridge spans the canal below the second lock in the Adderley flight.