Bridge on former Rother Navigation (at SU 98291882)

A canal bridge dating to the 1790s, situated at Shopham on the former Rother Navigation. It is constructed of red and grey brick laid in random pattern using English Bond. The bridge is a single-span structure with a round-headed arch and parapet. The arch is formed by ashlar quoins supporting an arch of vertical bricks, above which are two courses of stretcher bond followed by two offset courses of header bond. The parapet is finished with a cement coping, and each end terminates in a brick pier also topped with cement coping.

The Rother Navigation was built between 1791 and 1795 by the third Earl of Egremont to transport coal to Midhurst and Petworth, and to export corn and timber from the area. The line was surveyed by William Jessop and followed the natural course of the River Rother for much of its 11¼ mile length, with only 2 miles of artificial cuts. Eight locks enabled the navigation to rise by 54 feet. When the railway to Midhurst was completed in 1866, the navigation's commercial fortunes declined, though it remained in use until March 1888.

This bridge lies adjacent to Shopham Lock, close to the point where the Petworth Canal leaves the Rother Navigation. Its form and brick construction are consistent with the period of canal building in the 1790s. The bridge appears on Ordnance Survey maps from 1880 onwards and remains in substantially original condition with only minor repairs.