Bardsea Bridge - Ulverston Canal

The Furness Railway Company's main line west of Ulverston opened in 1854 but was built with tight curves and steep gradients that proved problematic for heavy freight trains. In 1876 and 1881 the company obtained Acts for the construction of a new double-track railway line following the north coast of Morecambe Bay from Ulverston to Barrow to provide an alternative route. Only two miles of this proposed line was ever built before the scheme was abandoned. This section, from Plumpton Junction, east of Ulverston, to Bardsea (Priory Station), opened in 1883. To carry this new railway track across the Ulverston Canal a sliding bridge, designed by the engineer Frank Stileman (1851-1912), was installed. A bridge with a moveable subsidiary framework was built at 90 degrees to the canal and onto this the railway tracks were attached, at 45 degrees to the framework. The bridge crossed the canal at towpath level. To allow boats to pass, the framework's central part was designed to roll back on wheels into a small dock built into the canal's south bank, thus leaving a central navigable channel for boats. The bridge was hydraulically operated, however the cylinders and rams were removed in 1952-3 and an associated engine house was demolished. A tall brick accumulator tower stands nearby on the canal's south bank. The bridge and tower are listed Grade II.