Astwood Lane Bridge Number 40

Astwood Lane Bridge Number 40 is a canal road bridge built in the early 19th century, with alterations made in the mid-19th century. It is constructed of red brick, featuring a red and blue brick parapet and coping made from both sandstone and blue brick. The bridge has an elliptical arch and cambered sides. The parapet includes a two-course band at its base, alternating between blue headers and red stretchers, and it is splayed at each end, finished with square piers. The Worcester and Birmingham Canal, for which this bridge was built, was commissioned by the Earl of Dudley and constructed between 1791 and 1815 to connect the Birmingham Canal Navigations with the River Severn, primarily to facilitate coal transport from the Black Country to the West Midlands. The towpath runs beneath the east side of the bridge.