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Oxford: Work starts on upgrading historic canal bridges

Curtis Lancaster
BBC News
Canal & River Trust Wooden lift bridgeCanal & River Trust
Wear and tear on the bridges, bad weather conditions and occasional incorrect usage can result in the lift mechanism malfunctioning

Work is starting on upgrading four of Oxford's historic canal bridges.

The wooden lifting structures, steeped in nearly 250 years of history, are undergoing the revamp as part of a £650,000 Canal and River Trust project.

The trust has been granted listed building consent for the installation of manual hydraulic winding mechanisms.

This will enable safer navigational passage for boat users and access across the canal for pedestrians and vehicles.

Canal & River Trust Man stood on lift bridgeCanal & River Trust
The work will enhance the longevity of the structures, pictured here in the 1940s, by providing more controlled opening and closing

The Canal and River Trust has teamed up with the People's Postcode Lottery to fund the project, which will continue into early 2024.

The bridges being upgraded are the Chisnell (no.193), Shipton (no.219), Wolvercote (no.233) and Perry's (no.234).

A part of the Oxfordshire landscape since the 18th Century, the now Grade II listed bridges were built to allow farmers and residents to cross the newly dug waterway.

The canal officially opened on 1 January 1790, carrying coal from the West Midlands to Oxford and London, and was a commercial success for almost half a century until the arrival of the railway.

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