Lift bridge on the Somerset Coal Canal
Introduction
The photograph on this page of Lift bridge on the Somerset Coal Canal by John Winder as part of the Geograph project.
The Geograph project started in 2005 with the aim of publishing, organising and preserving representative images for every square kilometre of Great Britain, Ireland and the Isle of Man.
There are currently over 7.5m images from over 14,400 individuals and you can help contribute to the project by visiting https://www.geograph.org.uk
Lift bridge on the Somerset Coal Canal
Image: © John Winder Taken: 27 Jan 2015
The Somerset Coal Canal was built around 1800 to link the Somerset coalfield with London, via the Kennet & Avon Canal. With the exception of the branch to Radstock, which closed in 1815 (being replaced by a tramway which was later incorporated into the well known Somerset & Dorset Railway), the canal was a commercial success for nearly a century, only declining in importance as the coalfields became exhausted in the late 1800s. In the late 1890s the canal fell quickly into disuse and was officially closed in 1902, various parts of the route being bought by railway companies and converted to railways. There is a scheme to restore the canal to navigation over its entire length - good luck with that - but in the meantime, the first half mile or so from the junction with the K&A has been restored and is currently used as moorings.
Images are licensed for reuse under creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0
Image Location
Latitude
51.361331
Longitude
-2.312051