Parade of historic vehicles marks bridge opening
A PROCESSION of historic vehicles crossed the new Schoolhouse Bridge days before the road was formally opened to traffic.
This followed many years of effort and months spent by contractors on the site of the last highway blockage on the Montgomery Canal in Shropshire.
Coun Vince Hunt, chairman of Shropshire Council, cut the tape to allow the vehicles to cross. He noted that the old bridge had been levelled by the highway authority 50 or 60 years before and congratulated the volunteer team and contractors Beaver Bridges of Shrewsbury.
At the event were a 1931 Sentinel Steam Waggon, 1910 Burrell traction engine, 1954 Citroen, 2008 Morgan 4/4 Sport, and 1979 Lomax threewheel kit car.
Chairman of the Restore the Montgomery Canal! appeal Michael Limbrey said:
“Schoolhouse Bridge was the biggest obstruction in the Shropshire Gap, the remaining dry section of the canal in Shropshire.
“The bridge was always going to be a challenge to the restoration and it was difficult to see how the Canal & River Trust or the council would rebuild it for many years. So the local canal charities got together to raise the funds for what in the end turned out to be a £1 million project funded entirely from private sources.
“Our appeal was supported by TV canal personalities Timothy West and Prunella Scales and we were delighted to receive donations from near and far including charitable trusts like the Tarmac Landfill Communities Fund, Inland Waterways Association and the Walker Trust.”
As well as funding, the volunteer team had to arrange the engineering design and legal documentation, with many hundreds of pages needed to meet regulatory and technical requirements. Other volunteers have helped on site and will be back to clear and landscape the site.
Michael added: “Our canal groups are very proud of Schoolhouse Bridge, the biggest volunteer-led project in the years of restoration and a vital step in opening up the canal to the Shropshire border.
“Government funding is helping to revitalise the canal in Powys and our challenge is now to reopen the canal through Schoolhouse Bridge to the border at Llanymynech.”