Kennet And Avon Canal, Laywood Bridge And Blockhouse

Laywood Bridge is an accommodation bridge over the Kennet and Avon Canal, built around 1806-1807. It features red and blue brick with stone copings and has a splayed plan. The bridge includes a thirteen-inch elliptical arch made of bullnosed bricks. At the base of the parapet, there are two courses of string with flush half-round copings that end in slight piers. Some late 19th-century repairs in blue brick can be seen under the arch. The canal wall revetment against the towpath and the winding pool to the east of the bridge have stone capping. There is a lozenge-shaped Great Western Railway cast iron loading restriction sign at the north end, although the load inserts are missing. Additionally, at the north end, there is a mid-20th century hexagonal blockhouse constructed from hollow clayware blocks, topped with a chamfered concrete roof. The blockhouse features concrete gunports on each face and an entrance on the north side.