Shropshire Union Canal (Edstaston Branch) Dobson'S Bridge

Dobson's Bridge is a canal bridge built around 1800 to 1806 on the Prees branch of the Ellesmere Canal, designed by William Jessop and Thomas Telford. It is constructed of red brick, with some areas of engineering brick patching on the underside of the arch, and features a coped stone parapet. The bridge has a single elliptical arch that includes keybricks, a string course, a parapet, and corner piers. The Prees branch was initially planned to extend to Prees Higher Heath, but by 1806 it only reached Quina Brook near Edstaston, where it was decided to stop further construction. The Ellesmere Canal Company merged with the Chester Canal Company in 1813 and became part of the Shropshire Union in 1846. The section of the canal between Roving Bridge House and the claypits just south of Dobson's Bridge remained in commercial use until around 1940.