Shropshire Union Canal Bridge Number 51 (New Brighton Bridge)

The Shropshire Union Canal Bridge Number 51, also known as New Brighton Bridge, is a canal bridge built around 1830 by engineers Thomas Telford and Alexander Easton. It is constructed from dressed red sandstone with tooled ashlar dressings. The bridge features an elliptical skew arch made of voussoirs and a flush keystone. It has a flat string course and a 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 that show grooves from rope haulage, and an oval cast-iron number plate is also present. This section of the canal was originally part of the Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal, which was authorized by an act passed in 1826 and opened in 1835. It was later absorbed by the Ellesmere and Chester Canal in 1845 and eventually became part of the Shropshire Union Canal in 1846.