ROAD BRIDGE AT NGR SS 2880 0838

The road bridge over the remains of the Bude canal was built between 1819 and 1823 and restored in the 20th century. It was designed by James Green, who was the engineer for the Bude Harbour and Canal Company. The bridge features a concrete roadway supported by four closely spaced cast iron arches, with cast iron centring and a wallplate. It has a wooden post and rail parapet and is set on coursed local stone abutments. The Bude canal was originally constructed to transport sea sand, which is rich in calcium carbonate, to improve the poor upland clay soils in the area. The canal was supplied by a reservoir to the north, now known as Tamar Lake, and this bridge crosses the feeder canal. The bridge is illustrated as Moreton Bridge in the work by Harris and Ellis. It is one of the few remaining features of this significant engineering project, which was notable for its use of inclined planes. The canal ceased operations in 1902.