Bridge Number 69 Adderley Wharf Bridge

Adderley Wharf Bridge, built around 1830, is a canal bridge designed by engineers Thomas Telford and Alexander Easton. It is constructed from dressed red and yellow sandstone with tooled ashlar dressings. The bridge features an elliptical arch made of voussoirs and flush keystones, along with a chamfered string and parapet that includes square end piers and rounded coping. The abutments are slightly battered and curved. On the towpath side, there are cast-iron corner posts with grooves created by 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. Unlike most bridges on this stretch, this bridge is not humped-backed; it spans a short cutting at an angle to the horizontal and marks the top end of the Adderley flight of locks.