I don’t know whether any other canals have them, but I’ve not seen a lift bridge anywhere except on the Oxford Canal. The Oxford Canal, with its narrow locks that only allow one boat at a time through, it’s occasional lift bridges, and its winding path, can be a slow canal to travel.
Bridge
Movable Bridges
Stewart Marchant’s Movable Bridges website says: If it’s a swing bridge, lift bridge, drawbridge, bascule bridge, sliding bridge, retractable bridge, curling bridge, rolling bridge, telescopic bridge, transporter bridge, counterweight bridge, boat lift or any other sort of movable bridge and is in the British Isles, it belongs on this website. It’s a comprehensive resource and […]
Disused swing bridge
This old, overgrown swing bridge is just north of Leighton Buzzard.
Swing bridge
This gentleman kindly helped open and close the swing bridge at Hemel for me. Seeing as this prevents traffic from using the road, it would have been hard to operate single-handed without testing the patience of local drivers.
Stopping traffic
At Winkwell just before Hemel Hempstead the traffic passes across a low bridge over the canal. The bridge is a swing bridge, electronically operated by the boater using a British Waterways key. It’s a great feeling to make the traffic wait while your boat goes slowly by. My family was on hand today to help […]