The unusual canal bridge near Morecambe Bay that's the last of its kind in Europe
Most of us will be familiar with canal bridges, but there's one close to Morecambe Bay that sets it apart form the rest. The Ulverston Canal Rolling Bridge was built way back in 1883 and is believed to be the only one of its kind still standing in Europe.
It runs over the Ulverston Canal in Cumbria, which also has a fascinating backstory as it was built to improve access to Ulverston, which had been declared a seaport in the 1774, despite being several miles inland. It is widely considered Britain's straightest canal, it is also on a single level and just two kilometres long.
Decades later in the 1840s, the Furness Railway opened with trains carrying passengers and freight and the bridge was engineered using revolutionary techniques to allow them to cross over the canal with minimum fuss and for ships and boats to still freely pass through. Furness had been cut off by the Lake District mountains prior to the construction of the railway and passenger ferries to Liverpool, then later to Barrow and Fleetwood were introduced.
The bridge and the tower nearby were granted listed status in 2012. An iron box located next to the bridge is engraved with a sketch model to explain how it originally operated. Atlas Obscura highlights interesting, unorthodox, bizarre and hidden places for you to visit around the world.
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
INTERACTIVE MAP: Fixing ‘Structurally Deficient' Bridges Will Cost Mass. BillionsCrumbling concrete, exposed rebar, and rusted steel. That’s what pictures from an inspection report obtained through an open records request show on one of the most traveled bridges in the state. Known simply as structure 111, a bridge on the Massachusetts turnpike in Allston is the gateway to Boston. “That is a structurally deficient bridge that we put a lot…
Read more »
Kourtney Kardashian slammed pregnancy comments on her latest Instagram postOn today's episode of 'Stop Commenting on Women's Bodies', KourtneyKardashian has slammed pregnancy comments on her latest Instagram post and we are here 👏 for 👏 it 👏 🔗
Read more »
Charter Day in Cleethorpes to be marked with service of commemorationCelebrating all that’s good about the seaside resort Cleethorpes
Read more »