IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Old Hall Road, WARRINGTON, WA5 9PA

The ST HELEN swings to turn below the former Bewsey swing bridge. This bridge gave the nearest access to Warrington (to the right) for men based at the US Base at RAF Burtonwood, and a large number of accommodation huts were built in the area around Bewsey Old Hall, just to the left of the bridge. This section of the canal is a well-known coarse fishery.

Bewsey Old Hall was originally built by William Fitz Almeric le Boteler and was home to the Lords of Warrington from the 13th Century for many generations. A monastic grange existed in the site prior to the Hall being built. The largely Jacobean building is currently of three storey construction, with distinctive chimneys and stone mullion windows. This is likely to be the work of Sir Thomas Ireland who was knighted at Bewsey in 1617 by King James 1st. Only a small portion of the original building remains today, but since the late 1970s much historical, architectural and archaeological investigation has taken place to reveal the importance of the site.

The ST HELEN north of the 7 arches viaduct. The square section of the platform over the canal is markedly different from the other arches. Further upstream Stephenson's 9 arch Earlestown Viaduct had to be built 70' high to allow the high-master Mersey sailing flats to pass beneath. It is assumed that here there was a moveable section over the canal to allow the same facility, but no details of it seem to exist.